The NBA announced Wednesday that it was banning Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for breaching the league’s gambling policy.
The league initially launched an investigation into Porter in late March after several sports books flagged peculiar betting patterns involving the 24 year old’s over/under totals. Now that the investigation has concluded, the league announced that it had found evidence that Porter had bet on games while playing in the G-League, disclosed confidential information to bettors, and intentionally limited his participation in at least 1 NBA game.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also revealed that the league was working with federal authorities including the Department of Justice and the FBI.
“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 blatant violations of our game rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” Silver stated.
“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players,” Silver said. “Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
In 26 games for the Raptors, Porter averaged 4.4pts/3.2reb/2.3ast in just under 14 minutes per night. The 6’10” F/C went undrafted in 2019 before signing as a free agent with the Memphis Grizzlies.
“You don’t want this for the kid, you don’t want this for our team and we don’t want this for our league, that’s for sure,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said Wednesday in Toronto. “My first reaction is obviously surprise, because none of us, I don’t think anybody, saw this coming.”
While it’s no secret that the NBA, along with most other professional sports leagues, are in bed with gambling sites and sports books, Porter’s blatant disregard for the rules flew directly in the face of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, leaving little room for him to be able to duck the allegations.
The CBA states “Any Player who, directly or indirectly, wagers money or anything of value on any game or event in the Association or in the NBA G League shall, on being charged with such wagering, be given an opportunity to answer such charges after due notice, and the decision of the Commissioner shall be final, binding, and conclusive and unappealable.”
With the 2023-24 NBA regular season now over, Toronto will turn its attention to the NBA Draft Lottery. The club currently has the 6th best odds to secure the 1st overall selection on Draft Night. However, if the ping pong balls don’t fall their way, there’s a chance they could lose the pick altogether.
The Raptors have a 45.8% chance of keeping their 2024 first round pick, as it’s top 6 protected. However, if their pick slides even one spot, they would forfeit their pick to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Jakob Poeltl trade. Meaning there’s a 54.2% chance the team could be sending their selection south of the border.
The pick is also top 6 protected in 2025, and 2026. If the selection hasn’t conveyed to the Spurs by 2027, then it will become 2 second round selections.
Photo: Luke. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.