Jontay Porter, brother of Michael Porter Jr., banned from NBA
Apr 17, 2024, 11:52 AM | Updated: 12:00 pm
The NBA banned Jontay Porter from the league on Wednesday. The former Toronto Raptors center was caught providing information to bettors, limited his own participation in games to cash in on wagers and gambled against the Raptors using an associate’s account while being an employee of the organization.
The NBA found that Porter twice checked out of games early when he had disclosed private information to a bettor about his health.
In a March 20 game, a bettor placed an $80,000 wager on Jontay props to win $1.1 million in a parlay. Porter played just three minutes before claiming he felt ill and the under props hit. The bet was frozen due to being suspicious and not paid out.
“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 press release from the league.
Porter is the brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. Jontay, like Michael, is from Missouri. A third brother, Coban Porter, was a member of the Denver Pioneers basketball team before killing somebody in a drunk driving crash. Porter awaits sentencing this Friday.
“I know that 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,” Michael said after the Nuggets game on March 27.
The NBA also found Jontay placed “at least 13 bets” on NBA games from January 2024 to March 2024. He won a little more than $21,000 on those wagers, but it didn’t involve any games he played in. He did bet the Raptors to lose in a contest he didn’t suit up in; they ultimately were defeated that night.
Jontay was getting a second crack at the NBA this season after bouncing around the G League. He is a former Nuggets summer leaguer and is now at the center of a giant sports betting scandal, the biggest since the legalization of it spread across the country in recent years.
A report on Tuesday showed that Jontay was a frequent bettor, wagering millions over multiple years in the state of Colorado on many sports but not basketball at the time. The state’s gaming regulators are currently investigating him.
