Toronto Raptors' player Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA for life after league investigators discovered he had been gambling against his own team. The punishment was handed down on Wednesday, April 17, following a gambling scheme in March that raised concerns about the integrity of the NBA's competition.
The league found that Porter not only bet on his team to lose but also manipulated his play to influence the outcome in his favor. He allegedly provided confidential information about his health to a known bettor, who then placed an $80,000 wager that Porter "would underperform" in a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 20. The bettor stood to make $1.1 million if the wager had been successful. However, due to the "unusual betting activity," the bet was frozen and not paid out.
NBA investigators also discovered that Porter made at least 13 bets on NBA games while playing for both the Raptors and their G-League affiliate from January through March. Porter reportedly used an associate's online betting account to place the wagers, resulting in over $20,000 in profits. None of the bets involved games in which Porter played, except for three multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game where he bet that the team would lose. All three of those bets lost.
The NBA stated that they are working with federal authorities and will continue to investigate Porter, promising to turn over any future findings. The league emphasized the importance of protecting the integrity of NBA competition and stated that Porter's actions were in clear violation of gaming rules, warranting the most severe punishment.
Porter, who played his first NBA game in the 2020-21 season, has appeared in 37 games in his career. This season, he started five games for Toronto, averaging 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
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