The NBA has decided to ban Jontay Porter for life after discovering that the Toronto Raptors forward bet on league games, his team and also on himself.
In a statement, the league announced that Porter will not return to the professional courts after an investigation showed that the player revealed certain aspects of his physical condition to bettors for financial gain.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/h2TIkaE7xs
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 17, 2024
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said conduct such as Porter's "receive[s] the most severe punishment" there can be:
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 flagrant violations of our playing rules receive the most severe punishment.
Through its investigation, the NBA concluded that Porter informed a bettor of his health status prior to the Raptors-Sacramento Kings game on March 20, which resulted in Porter missing significant time on the court.
Porter played only three minutes that day and that person bet $80,000 to win $1.1 million that the Raptors' player was not going to put up good statistics. The fact that he only played three minutes meant that the bet could not be paid out, and the bettor was left without a payout.
The investigation also revealed that Porter bet on at least 13 occasions on NBA games in the first quarter of 2024.
