Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter may be facing a lifetime ban from the NBA following his gambling investigation.
The league has been investigating him following a series of unusual gambling activity reported by ESPN.
There was an increased betting interest on the under for Porter on Jan. 26 in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. In this game, he played four minutes before exiting due to a re-aggravation of an eye injury and all the unders cashed in on him.
Then in a game on March 20 against the Phoenix Suns, the 24-year-old played just three minutes before leaving the game due to illness. The unders on Porter cashed in once again.
If Porter is found guilty of the allegations he could be facing a serious punishment.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly said Jontay Porter’s accusation is a “cardinal sin” and the punishment for it could be a permanent ban from the league per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Silver made it clear that the consequences could be very severe via NBA reporter Marc Stein:
“There is nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling and betting on our games and that is a direct player involvement. So the investigation is ongoing but the consequences could be very severe.”
Porter was a third string center for the Raptors so it was strange that many bets were placed on him.
Former Raptor Jalen Harris was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA for violating terms of the anti-drug program in 2021. Porter could suffer the same fate if he is found guilty.
Jontay Porter’s season with Toronto
For the season Porter is averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.8 three-pointers per game. He got more playing time when Jakob Poeltl went down with injury.
Porter is currently on a two-way contract and is earning $415,000 in salary.
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