Comments from NBA commissioner Adam Silver imply that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter’s NBA career is in jeopardy in light of the gambling allegations against the 24-year-old.
Adam Silver says what Jontay Porter is accused of is a “cardinal sin” and that punishment for it could go up to banishment from the league.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 10, 2024
Specifically, there was one instance in January and another in March where Porter exited games following brief stints. He cited injuries as the reasons for why he left the floor preemptively, but his decisions impacted his prop bets related to several stats in the games in question, such as points, rebounds as well as 3-pointers made.
Last month, Porter’s sibling in Michael Porter Jr. — who has been an impactful starter on one of the best NBA teams this season in the Denver Nuggets — commented on the investigation related to his younger brother. Porter Jr. is seemingly skeptical that Porter intentionally tried to influence prop bets.
“I’ve known my brother my whole life,” Porter Jr. said. “I know what type of dude he is and I know he’s excited to play basketball and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy.”
Porter is currently on a two-way contract with the Raptors franchise. He has suited up in 26 games for the team so far in the 2023-24 regular season and is averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest while shooting 38.5 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep.
He last played for Toronto on March 22, when he dropped seven points, eight assists, three rebounds, one block and two steals on 2-of-3 shooting from the field in a 20-point loss to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Before joining the Raptors this season, he hadn’t played in the NBA since the 2020-21 season, when he appeared in 11 games with the Memphis Grizzlies — who finished the campaign with a solid 38-34 record — during the regular season.
Only time will tell whether or not the NBA will decide to hand Porter a permanent ban from the league. But that seems like a distinct possibility at this time, considering Silver’s comments on the investigation.
Regardless of what punishment Porter does or doesn’t receive, hopefully his situation will deter any NBA players from attempting to influence prop bets anytime soon.
