Raptors star Jontay Porter banned for life from NBA

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Posted By: jasabacklink April 17, 2024

Toronto Raptors power forward Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA on Wednesday after a league investigation discovered that he bet on games.

“A league investigation found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games,” NBA officials noted in a press release posted on X.

According to the news release, the league found that prior to the Raptors’ March 20 game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to someone whom he knew to be an NBA bettor.

Another person whom Porter associated with, who was also a bettor, then reportedly placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sportsbook, to win $1.1 million. The individual allegedly wagered that Porter would underperform in the March 20 game.

The league also claims that Porter “limited his own game participation” to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game.

“In the March 20 game, Porter played only three minutes, claiming that he felt ill.  Due to the unusual betting activity and actions of the player, the $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and was not paid out,” the release notes.

From January to March 2024, while traveling with the Raptors, Porter allegedly placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account, ranging from $15 to $22,000, resulting in $54,094.  The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965.

The league says that none of the bets involved any game in which Porter played—three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, where Porter bet that the Raptors would lose.  All three bets lost.

Bets involving Porter’s performance in the March 20 game were brought to the NBA’s attention by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets, the news release states, adding that the league’s investigation will remain open and may result in further findings.

“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,” Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner 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.”

The news has created a storm of dissapointed fans across social media, with many noting how he threw a promising career away.