Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter banned from NBA for life after disclosing info to bettor for $1.1 million bet

NBA power forward Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA for allegedly engaging in sports betting and limiting his participation for gambling purposes.

The NBA issued a press release about the 24-year-old Toronto Raptors player, detailing how a league investigation found that the player violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors.

The league also said that Porter limited "his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes" and also bet on NBA games.

For a game on March 20, 2024, Porter allegedly told a bettor about his health status. The bettor then placed an $80,000 parlay proposition with an online sports book to win $1.1 million dollars.

The bet was that Porter would underperform in certain statistical categories.

Speculation outside official NBA sources stated that Porter left the game with with an undisclosed illness, which set off alarm bells to gambling bodies.

NBA statistics showed Porter played just two minutes and 43 seconds during the game in question, recording just two rebounds.

The unusual betting activity meant that the $80,000 wager was frozen by the betting company and wasn't paid out.

Porter was also accused by the NBA of placing at least 13 bets on NBA games using "an associate's online betting account."

Bets ranged from just $15 to upward of $22,000. The bets totaled $54,094 and had a payout of $76,059; the net winnings were $21,965. None of the bets involved a game in which Porter played, however. He did bet on the Raptors three times though, and lost all three bets, the NBA said.

The league's investigation remained opened, and the NBA said it will share information with federal prosecutors.

"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.

"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."

Speculation of Porter's alleged wrongdoing was circulating online for weeks ahead of the league's announcement. In addition to the March 20, 2024, game, just days later YouTube channel SL Breakdown reported on another suspicious performance by Porter.

During a January 26, 2024, loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Porter played just four minutes and 24 seconds before reportedly coming out of the game after reaggravating an eye injury. In that game, he recorded just three rebounds and one assist.

The analysts questioned whether this was one of the other games that NBA investigators alluded to as being a game where Porter was "limiting" his participation.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!