The NBA banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter on Wednesday for violating the league’s gambling rules.
The league said in a statement that an investigation determined Porter disclosed “confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”
Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on March 9. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
The league said an investigation discovered that before “the Raptors’ March 20 game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor. Another individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports book, to win $1.1 million, wagering Porter would underperform in the March 20 game.”
The NBA said Porter “limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game.”
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Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors fights for a rebound with Lindy Waters III of Oklahoma City Thunder during their game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on March 22. (Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Porter only played three minutes in the March 20 game, claiming to have been sick. The $80,000 prop bet was frozen and not paid out.
The NBA said it found that from January to March of this year, while Porter was either with the Raptors or its G League team Raptors 905, he placed “at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s betting account.”
Porter’s bets ranged from $15 to $22,000 for a total of $54,094, and resulted in about $21,965 in net winnings, the NBA said. Three of the wagers were multi-game parlays, which included one Raptors game, in which Porter “bet the Raptors would lose.” All three bets lost.
Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket during the game against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, on March 17. (Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
Porter was in his first season with the Raptors and played in 26 games this year before he was sidelined for what was determined as personal reasons. He averaged 13.8 minutes per game.
