The NBA issued Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter a lifetime ban from the league on Wednesday after an investigation revealed he had disclosed confidential information to bettors, limited his participation in at least one game while he was with Toronto, and bet on NBA games while playing in the G League.

 

The NBA said suspicious bets involving Jontay Porter were brought to its attention by licensed sports betting operators

 

Moreover, the NBA said in a release announcing Porter’s ban that its investigation remains open and that it is sharing information with federal authorities. The suspicious bets were brought to the league’s attention by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets. 

 

“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 game rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

The NBA launched an investigation into Porter in late March, after sportsbooks noticed irregular betting on the over/under on the reserve center’s statistics in two Raptors games. In both games, Porter exited after playing only a few minutes.

The NBA’s investigation discovered that Porter revealed his medical status to a known sports bettor ahead of a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings. 

According to the NBA, another bettor had placed an $80,000 same-game parlay bet that featured unders on Porter’s statistics and won $1.1 million. 

Porter played three minutes before leaving the game with an illness. Although the bet was placed at DraftKings, the sportsbook never paid the patron due to suspicious betting activity.

Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account

Jontay Porter reportedly placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. According to the league, the wagers ranged from $15 to $22,000, totaling $54,094.

The Missouri product waged $54,094 worth of bets from January 2024 to March 2024 while traveling with the Raptors or the team’s G League affiliate.

The NBA said the total payout from those bets was $76,059, with net winnings of $21,965. It should be noted that none of the aforementioned bets involved any in which Porter played. 

Based on the league’s findings, three of the bets were parlays, including one that included a bet on the Raptors to lose. All three bets lost.

Furthermore, sportsbooks reported an increase in “betting interest on the under” on several of Porter’s statistics ahead of a Jan. 26 matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, per ESPN’s David Purdum. 

Porter played just four minutes before leaving the game with issues related to an eye injury suffered earlier in the week against the Memphis Grizzlies. 

The second-year wing finished with zero points, three rebounds and one assist. All three metrics fell under the lines sportsbooks had set for his statistics.

The majority of the betting accounts that backed Porter unders in the games in question were located in New Jersey, New York and Arizona, according to sportsbook industry sources close to ESPN. 

U.S. Integrity helped monitor the Porter betting abnormalities 

In addition to licensed sportsbooks, the NBA said it was alerted to the suspicious activity by one organization that monitors legal betting markets.

Las Vegas firm U.S. Integrity is partnered with sportsbooks, leagues and state gaming regulators. The company’s goal is to “help ensure that every sporting competition is fair and transparent” and to guarantee “sports betting integrity,” said founder and CEO Matt Holt.

U.S. Integrity monitored the Porter irregularities and said in a recent press release that it is “proud to continue to support the NBA in initiatives relating to regulated sports betting.”

Porter, 24, is the younger brother of forward Michael Porter Jr., who won an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets last season.

Additionally, Porter played 26 games (five starts) with Toronto this season, averaging career highs of 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 13.8 minutes per game. 

The 6-foot-11 forward went undrafted in 2019 out of the University of Missouri. He played 11 games with the Memphis Grizzlies in his rookie 2020-21 season.