The NBA on Wednesday announced a ban for Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, who the league said provided info to bettors and gambled on basketball games.
The league said an investigation found Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account that ranged from $15 to $22,000 for a total of $54,000. The payout from his bets was $76,059 with net winnings of $21,965. Though none of the wagers involved a game in which Porter played, he did bet the Raptors would lose.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Wednesday. “Which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment.”
Mark Bartelstein, Porter’s agent, did not immediately return a phone message from The Athletic seeking comment.
What led to Porter’s banishment? Here’s a timeline of events that resulted in Porter being the first NBA player to banned from the league for gambling in 70 years.
Porter’s path to the NBA
Porter’s lone season at Missouri was a productive one. He was named to the 2018 SEC All-Freshman Team and won SEC Sixth Man of the Year. However, Porter, the younger brother of NBA champion and Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., tore both his ACL and MCL in an October 2018 scrimmage and was forced to miss his sophomore season with the Tigers.
While rehabbing the injury, Jontay Porter again tore his ACL in March 2019 but still decided to enter his name into the 2019 NBA Draft. After going undrafted, the Memphis Grizzlies signed Porter in March 2020, but he did not see any game action while rehabbing from his second ACL injury. In November 2020, the Grizzlies re-signed Porter to a multiyear contract. But by July 2021, Memphis waived Porter, who averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
Porter then spent time in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd and Motor City Cruise before signing a two-way deal with Toronto and the Raptors 905, the Raptors’ G League affiliate, in December 2023.
The 24-year-old forward averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 26 games and five starts in Toronto.
Initial report of investigation into Porter (March 25, 2024)
According to an ESPN report, the NBA was investigating two Toronto Raptors games — Jan. 26 against the LA Clippers and March 20 against the Sacramento Kings — in particular, prop bets related to Porter’s statistics.
The Athletic confirmed that Porter was not with the team when news of the investigation became public.
Porter didn’t score or attempt a shot but grabbed three rebounds and had one assist in four minutes against the Clippers. Porter didn’t score against the Kings during his three minutes on the court, though he did take one shot attempt and had two rebounds.
Porter’s prop bets were the top moneymaking bets on two different nights of NBA action since January, when the under on 0.5 3-pointers made hit at -120 on Jan. 26, and on March 20 when his props were the biggest moneymakers that night in the NBA, according to the DraftKings Sportsbook Insights.
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NBA investigating Raptors’ Porter for betting issues
Raptors react to Porter investigation (March 26, 2024)
“I think it’s just simple: Just stay away from basketball stuff,” Toronto forward Jordan Nwora said before his team lost 96-88 to the Brooklyn Nets. “And other than that, you’re good. That’s what we learned about it. Same going as far back as college.”
“It’s crazy. It’s just part of our sports now. It’s something that’s on a weird line right now,” Raptors swingman Ochai Agbaji said. “I feel like sports betting has always been around, but it hasn’t been as popular since … ever, so it’s becoming more popular and obviously you’re gonna have stuff like this. And it’s unfortunate, but stuff like this is gonna happen, especially when stuff is so close — like sports betting and gambling and the sport itself is being crossed. … You see (it) everywhere.”
“At the end of the day, guys are still going to ask when you go to the barbershop or when you’re walking around town, guys that bet may question, ‘Who’s playing tonight?’ Garrett Temple, vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, said. “Obviously that’s something that as a veteran, or as a player, you (say), ‘I don’t know who is playing tonight, man.
“You’ve got to come to the game and watch.’ Quips like that to just make it light-hearted and we move on. That’s something maybe as a PA we need to just even put more time into educating guys how to navigate those things.”
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Raptors react to Jontay Porter gambling investigation: ‘It’s just part of our sports now’
Silver calls Porter allegations ‘cardinal sin’ (April 10, 2024)
Silver made his first public comments on the Porter investigation at a news conference after the league’s annual Board of Governors meetings.
“It’s a cardinal sin of what he’s accused of in the NBA,” Silver said.
“The ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game,” Silver said. “That’s the level of authority I have here because there’s nothing more serious around this league when it comes to gambling around our games than direct player involvement. The investigation is ongoing but the consequences could be severe.”
NBA players cannot bet on the NBA, according to a copy of the player conduct memo reviewed by The Athletic, and cannot manipulate or influence games — also known as game-fixing — or not performing to the best of their abilities for a reason related to betting.
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Adam Silver says Jontay Porter risks permanent ban
Porter receives ban (April 17, 2024)
After the conclusion of the NBA’s investigation, Silver exercised his right as commissioner to issue Porter the extreme penalty of a ban from the league.
According to the results of a league investigation, Porter gave a confidential tip about his health to a person he knew to be a sports bettor before the Raptors’ game on March 20 against Sacramento. A third individual, connected to both Porter and the original recipient of Porter’s health information, placed an $80,000 parlay bet to win $1.1 million, a wager that hinged on the prediction that Porter would underperform against the Kings.
To make sure the bet hit, the league found, Porter pulled himself out of the Sacramento game after just three minutes, claiming he was ill.
Porter was earning $415,000 on his two-way contract with the Raptors this season. He is the first active player or coach to be expelled from the NBA for gambling since Jack Molinas in 1954. More recently, Silver gave a significant drug suspension to O.J. Mayo in 2016 that effectively kept him out of the league, and he banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014 and forced him to sell the team for making racist comments that were made public.
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NBA bans Jontay Porter for violating gambling rules
(Photo: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
