Raptors forward Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA for violating the league’s sports gambling rules, the league announced Wednesday.
Porter was under investigation for gambling on his own player props in two games during the 2023-24 NBA season. The NBA announced its probe March 25, and a seemingly significant piece of evidence was brought forth Tuesday, April 16.
Porter reportedly owned and operated a VIP account at FanDuel in Colorado that wagered “millions of dollars in total from 2021 to 2023,” according to “multiple sources” from Action Network’s Chase Howell.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently said that Porter’s accusation is a “cardinal sin” and that the punishment for it could “go up to banishment from the league.”
Silver upheld that statement once the NBA’s investigation found Porter guilty of his accusations.
What exactly did Porter do? The Sporting News takes a closer look at the situation below.
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What did Jontay Porter do?
The NBA launched an investigation on Porter due to “irregular betting activity” on his player prop bets.
Porter’s name was flagged by the league when wagers on his UNDERs were the most profitable wagers on DraftKings on two separate days earlier this NBA season.
In a game against the Clippers on Jan. 26, Porter’s lines were set at 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. There was also an over/under for Porter’s made 3-pointers, which sat at 0.5. Porter only played four minutes before leaving the game with an “aggravated eye injury,” finishing with zero points, three rebounds, one assist and zero 3-point attempts.
DraftKings Sportsbook reported that the UNDER on Porter’s 3-point prop was the “biggest money winner for bettors of any NBA player props from games that evening,” in a daily report sent to users on betting results.
In a game against the Suns on March 20, Porter’s lines were set at 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He only played three minutes before leaving the game with an “illness,” finishing with zero points and two rebounds.
DraftKings Sportsbook reported the next day that Porter’s prop bets were the top earners for the NBA that night, once again.
Per the NBA’s findings from the investigation, Porter “disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor,” ahead of the March 20 game. That bettor placed an $80,000 player prop parlay to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform in that game.
“The league’s investigation also found 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,” according to the NBA’s official release.
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Jontay Porter gambling update
On Tuesday, an update was provided on Porter’s gambling investigation that showed he “wagered millions of dollars in total from 2021 to 2023” on a VIP FanDuel account in Colorado, according to sources from Action Network.
Porter placed over 1,000 wagers at the sportsbook — which was a significant development during the NBA’s probe into his gambling.
In the league’s release on Wednesday, the NBA found that Porter placed “at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account.”
The bets ranged in size from $15 to $22,000. He netted $21,965 in winnings from those bets, none of which involved games that Porter played. He did, however, bet that the Raptors would lose one game.
Jontay Porter contract, salary
Porter was on a non-guaranteed two-way contract with the Raptors, which was reportedly worth $559,782 for the 2023-24 season. He was set to become a restricted free agent this offseason.
Porter made $2,397,933 in his NBA career since making his debut in 2021, according to Spotrac. That does not include the money he earned from non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts from the Bucks and Pistons, or his non-guaranteed two-way deal with the Raptors.
Jontay Porter and Michael Porter Jr. relationship
Jontay Porter is the younger brother of Nuggets star forward Michael Porter Jr.
Michael was quick to defend Jontay amid the NBA’s investigation, stating, “I’ve known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is and I know he’s excited to play basketball, and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy.
“Jontay loves the game of basketball,” Michael said, adding that his brother “has been thrilled to play for Toronto on a two-way contract this season.”
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