Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
TORONTO — The NBA has banned Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life for violating the league’s gambling rules.
The league found that Porter, 24, was “disclosing confidential information to sports bettors” and “limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes.”
Porter, who split time between the Raptors and their G League affiliate, also placed at least 13 bets on NBA games from January through March of this year; none of those bets included games in which he played, but he did bet a parlay that included a wager on the Raptors losing.
NBA has leveled a lifetime ban on Jontay Porter for gambling.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 17, 2024
Before the Raptors’ March 20 game, Porter informed someone he knew to be an NBA bettor about his health status, and another person associated with Porter put $80,000 on a parlay on “unders” for Porter in that game to win $1.1 million.
Porter “limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game,” according to the NBA.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/h2TIkaE7xs
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 17, 2024
“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 in a statement.
“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game,” Silver said.
The NBA said its investigation remains open and might result in more findings. The NBA said it has shared and will continue to share information with federal prosecutors.
Porter is a brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.
