Uncategorized
NBA bans Jontay Porter for life after gambling probe shows he shared information, bet on games
Porter is the second person to be banned by Commissioner Adam Silver for violating league rules. The first was former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014, shortly after Silver assumed his position.
In announcing the decision, Silver described Porter’s actions as “blatant.”
“Protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams, and everyone involved in our sport is of utmost importance, which is why Jontay Porter’s flagrant breaches of our gaming rules have resulted in the harshest punishment,” Silver stated.
The investigation commenced after the league was alerted by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets about suspicious betting patterns surrounding Porter’s performance in a March 20 game against Sacramento. The league determined that Porter provided a bettor with information about his own health status before the game and revealed that another individual, known to be an NBA bettor, placed an $80,000 bet that Porter would not meet the performance expectations set for him in parlays through an online sportsbook. The potential payout of that bet would have been $1.1 million.
Porter withdrew from that game after playing for less than three minutes, citing illness, and none of his stats met the set expectations. The $80,000 bet was subsequently frozen and not paid out, according to the league, which initiated an investigation shortly thereafter.
The NBA has partnerships and relationships with more than two dozen gaming companies, many of which advertise during games. Silver himself has been a longtime advocate of legal sports betting, but the league has strict regulations for players and employees regarding betting.
Porter’s actions were found to violate the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states that players who engage in wagering on NBA or G League games, directly or indirectly, will be given a chance to respond to the charges after due notice. The commissioner’s decision is final and unappealable.
Last week, Silver cautioned that this action was possible, stating that Porter’s accused actions represented a “cardinal sin” in the NBA. Porter has not made any public comments since the investigation began and has not played for the Raptors since then, being listed as out for the remainder of the season due to personal reasons.
The league’s investigation also revealed that Porter — the brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. — placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using someone else’s betting account. These bets ranged from $15 to $22,000, totaling $54,094 in wagers and generating a payout of $76,059, or net winnings of $21,965.
Though none of these wagers involved games Porter played in, three bets were multi-game parlays, including one in which Porter, not playing in the involved games, bet against the Raptors. All three bets resulted in losses.
“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter raises important issues regarding the adequacy of the current regulatory framework, including the types of bets offered on our games and players,” Silver said. “We will continue to work diligently with all relevant stakeholders across the industry to safeguard our league and the game.”
Porter, 24, averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 26 games, including five starts. He also played 11 games for Memphis in the 2020-21 season.
ESPN first reported the investigation, mentioning Porter’s performances in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. In both games, Porter played briefly before leaving due to injury or illness. Porter played 4 minutes and 24 seconds against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first of those games, then 2 minutes and 43 seconds against Sacramento in the second.
In both games, Porter did not come close to hitting the prop-wager lines for points, rebounds, and 3-pointers available at some sportsbooks. For instance, one set of prop wagers for Porter against the Clippers was set at 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists; he ended with no points, three rebounds, and one assist. For the Kings game, the expected stats were around 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds; Porter finished with no points and two rebounds.
The investigation remains open for further findings. The NBA stated that it would share information with federal prosecutors.
Colorado gaming regulators are also investigating Porter.
Action Network reported that Porter placed over 1,000 bets totaling millions of dollars from 2021 to 2023. These bets were allegedly made through a VIP account with the sportsbook FanDuel registered in Colorado.
According to Action Network, NBA players and employees are prohibited from making wagers of any kind, though betting on other sports is not explicitly banned.
Porter allegedly belonged to three different NBA G League teams during these wagering activities.
Colorado gaming regulators requested state sportsbooks to report any accounts Porter may have operated, which needed to be submitted by Monday, according to Action Network.
