Jontay Porter, a player for the Toronto Raptors, has been handed a lifetime ban from the NBA after violating the league’s rules on gambling.

Specifically, Jontay Porter was found to be involved in unusually high-stakes bets related to games in which he himself participated. It was revealed that he had a VIP account with FanDuel and placed “millions of dollars in bets from 2021 to 2023.”

After a three-week investigation, the NBA officially issued the lifetime ban to the 1999-born player. So, what did Jontay Porter do?Following an investigation that began in late March 2024, Jontay Porter was found to have engaged in illegal gambling activities, contrary to NBA regulations.

Specifically, in a game between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Clippers on January 26, Jontay Porter requested to leave the court after just 4 minutes due to an injury. The odds on the points scored, rebounds, and three-pointers by Jontay Porter suddenly spiked abnormally and resulted in significant winnings on that day.

A similar situation occurred in a game between the Toronto Raptors and the Phoenix Suns on March 20. The number of bets placed on the over/under for points scored and rebounds by Jontay Porter also experienced a drastic increase. Later, Porter appeared on the court for only 3 minutes before leaving due to an unspecified injury, and those who bet on the under won their wagers.

According to the NBA’s investigation report, Jontay Porter “disclosed injury information to an unidentified individual” prior to the March 20 game. On the same day, an $80,000 bet yielded $1.1 million in winnings by betting on Porter’s performance being below his usual standards.

Upon discovering the suspicious betting activity, the bookmakers froze the funds and reported the incident to the NBA for further investigation. It was revealed that the “unidentified individual” mentioned by the NBA was indeed Jontay Porter.

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Jontay Porter’s history of gambling

As mentioned earlier, Jontay Porter possessed a VIP account with FanDuel and placed “millions of dollars in bets from 2021 to 2023.” According to the investigation report, the 1999-born player placed over 1,000 bets during this period, mostly on other sports.

Jontay Porter was reported to have earned $21,965 in gambling winnings from his own account, most of which were unrelated to his own games. However, he did place a bet against a game involving the Toronto Raptors, which the team ultimately won.

Additionally, the NBA discovered that Jontay Porter participated in betting on NBA games 13 times using an associate’s account. The betting amounts from this account ranged from $15,000 to $22,000.

Details of Jontay Porter’s contract

Jontay Porter played for the Toronto Raptors under a two-way contract in the 2023/24 season. Depending on the player’s time on the court, this contract could reach $559,782.

Since entering the NBA in 2021, Jontay Porter has earned $2,397,933 in salary. This figure does not include short-term contracts with the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons, nor does it account for the two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors in the current season.

Relationship between Jontay Porter and Michael Porter Jr.

Jontay Porter is the younger brother of Michael Porter Jr., a star player for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA.

When the NBA launched the investigation into Jontay Porter, Michael spoke out in defense of his younger brother, saying, “I know his character, and he’s very passionate about playing basketball. I don’t think Jontay would do anything foolish or put himself at risk. He loves basketball and is excited to play for the Toronto Raptors this season.”

Based on what has transpired, it appears that Michael Porter Jr.’s defense of his younger brother may no longer hold true.