The NBA has banned Jontay Porter, the younger brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., after an inquiry by the league revealed that he had given sports bettors private information about his health, which prevented him from participating in one or more games for betting purposes.
Porter, 24, spent time between the Toronto Raptors’ G League affiliate and NBA squad as part of a two-way contract.
According to a press statement, the league’s investigation revealed that Porter also wagered on at least 13 NBA games with an associate’s internet betting account. He did not wager on any games that he participated in, but he did wager on three multi-game parlays that included a betting on the Raptors to drop one game.
Adam Silver, the league commissioner, said in a statement that “there is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams, and everyone associated with our sport.” For this reason, Jontay Porter’s flagrant violations of the gambling rules are receiving the harshest punishment possible.
As the league’s approved gaming operator, FanDuel and the NBA have been partners since 2018.
The focus of Porter’s ongoing probe, which may yield additional results, was the Raptors’ March 20 defeat to the Sacramento Kings. Porter was found to have disclosed health-related information to a person he knew to be a sports bettor.
The press statement states that Porter was informed by another person who was also a sports bettor to make a $80,000 parlay through an online sports book, wagering that Porter would do poorly in the match.
Porter said he felt unwell and barely played for three minutes. Due to odd betting behavior and Porter’s withdrawal from the game, the parlay payment of $1.1 million was frozen and never paid out.
Porter “limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance,” according to the investigation’s findings.
When Porter was growing up, he was one grade below Michael Porter Jr.; nonetheless, he reclassified in order to graduate from high school one year ahead of schedule and play men’s basketball for MPJ.
The twins’ first NBA floor time occurred on March 11 at Ball Arena during the Nuggets’ 125-119 victory over the Raptors. Porter’s purported sharing of private information was nine days prior to breaking league regulations.
Michael Porter Jr. stated on March 27 after learning of his brother’s probe, “I know what you guys know.” “I am aware of Jontay’s passion for basketball. He has been quite eager to play with the Raptors.
So at this point, I am as informed as all of you. I’ve spent my entire life with my brother. I am aware of the kind of guy he is. I have no doubt that he would do nothing to jeopardize his excitement to play basketball.
The announcement of Jontay Porter’s permanent punishment from the league came the same morning the Nuggets held their first practice ahead of the 2024 postseason. MPJ practiced alongside his teammates as normal, but he was not made available to the media.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated, “He knows that we all support him, and his family is such a well-connected, strong family with tremendous faith from his mom and dad throughout.” “And he is aware that the coaching staff, the entire team, and another family are all behind him here at Ball Arena in that locker room.
For him, though, it has not been simple. I give him credit because of this—he’s had a lot on his mind and in his heart. And it shows how strong that young man is that he can go out there and accomplish the work that he is doing.