NBA’s Jontay Porter receives lifetime ban amid gambling accusations
- Porter allegedly gave classified health info to a known bettor
- The bet was halted and not paid out due to suspicious activity
- Porter took himself out of a March 20 game after playing only 3 minutes
Jontay Porter C of Toronto Raptors fights for a rebound with Lindy Waters III R of Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2023-2024 NBA regular season game between Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder in Toronto, Canada, March 22, 2024. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban from the NBA for violating the league’s gaming rules.
“A league investigation found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in on or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games,” a statement from the league read in part.
The NBA’s investigation found Porter gave confidential information about his health status to someone he “knew to be an NBA bettor.” According to the league, another person known to be an NBA bettor subsequently put an $80,000 parlay prop bet to win more than $1 million, betting that Porter would “underperform” in a March 20 game.
Porter, claiming to be ill, would only play three minutes in that game. According to the league, the “unusual betting activity and actions of the player” prompted the bet to be frozen and was not paid out.
“The suspicious bets involving Porter’s performance in the Raptors’ March 20 game were brought to the NBA’s attention by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets,” the NBA said.
The NBA is the latest professional sports organization forced to navigate unchartered territory as sports betting becomes more accessible, legal and mainstream.
Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has been accused of stealing $16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off sports gambling debts. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of one count of bank fraud.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Porter’s actions jeopardize the integrity of the game and are being met with a decisive punishment.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.
Porter is the brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.
The NBA’s play-in tournament is on through April 19. The first round of the playoffs begins on April 20.
