Former Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA for violating the league's sports gambling rules, the league announced in April 2024.
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 on 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 said that Porter's alleged actions would be a "cardinal sin" and that the punishment for it could "go up to banishment from the league." The NBA's investigation found that Porter indeed did participate in sports betting, and Silver's warning became a reality.
What exactly did Porter do? The Sporting News takes a closer look at the situation below.
MORE ON JONTAY PORTER:
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What did Jontay Porter do?
The NBA launched an investigation into Porter due to "irregular betting activity" on his player prop bets.
Porter's name was flagged by the league when wagers on his statistics were the most profitable of all NBA bets 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 played just 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 played just three minutes before leaving the game with an "illness," finishing with zero points and two rebounds. DraftKings reported the next day that Porter's prop bets were the top moneymakers that night among NBA wagers.
Per the NBA's findings from its 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. Another bettor privy to the information 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
Porter plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Wednesday, July 10, per HuffPost's Phillip Lewis.
The former NBA player was charged with a federal felony on July 3 though the specifics weren't known at the time, according to ESPN. A week later, Porter plead guilty.
This information comes following weeks of investigation between United States and Canadian authorities.
This is in addition to the United States' investigation that has already charged four men with wire fraud. Craig Abrams, spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), said Canada is working with the U.S. through the investigation.
In April, 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, per the report — which was a significant development during the NBA's probe into his gambling.
Per the league's release, 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 in which Porter played. He did, however, bet that the Raptors would lose one game, though he lost that bet.
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 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."
