Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA for life a day after the Action Network reported that he had managed a VIP account with FanDuel that bet millions of dollars over three years.
The league said in a statement that Porter disclosed confidential information to known sports bettors and limited his playing time in order for these bettors to profit.
It's the first major athlete to be banned for life in North America since the inception of legalized, online sports betting in 2018. Porter is the brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., who is a pivotal member of the defending NBA champions.
A request for comment made by the Action Network to Jontay Porter's agent was not returned.
The NBA said its investigation found that prior to the Raptors' March 20 game vs. the Kings, Porter informed an individual "he knew to be an NBA bettor" about his health status. A different person who Porter knew to be an NBA bettor then placed an $80,000 parlay to win $1.1 million on Porter to underperform several different prop bets in one game.
Porter went on to play just three minutes before reporting an illness and leaving the game vs. the Kings. The $80,000 same game parlay was frozen and not paid out amid this irregular activity.
DraftKings reported his unders were that day's most profitable wagers at the sportsbook. The sportsbook posted his points total at 7.5 and rebound total of 5.5. He finished the game with zero points and two rebounds.
The NBA added that while he was a member of the Raptors and the Raptors' G League affiliate Raptors 905, he placed at least 13 bets on NBA games through an "associate's online betting account."
This activity from Jan. to March 2024 included a total of $54,094 in bets which resulted in a net win of just under $22,000. None of these wagers, the league said, involved games in which Porter participated.
Three bets were same game parlays that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet on the Raptors to lose. All three bets lost.
The Action Network reported on Tuesday that Porter's FanDuel VIP account wagered several million dollars from 2021 to 2023.
During this time, Porter operated a Discord account that provided stocks, crypto and, occasionally, gambling advice for a monthly subscription of $49.99. A FanDuel spokesperson declined to comment about the situation to the Action Network on Tuesday.
His account activity ceased after he signed a two-way contract with the Raptors in Dec. 2023 to adhere to NBA bylaws about betting on sportsbooks as an active NBA player.
Porter allegedly placed over 1,000 wagers at FanDuel during this time period. “He was firing all of the time,” a source said.
"The NBPA will make sure Jontay has access to the resources he needs during this time, in light of the NBA’s decision," the NBA's players association said in a statement on Wednesday. "All players, including Jontay, should be afforded appropriate due process and opportunity to answer to any charges brought against them."
The NBA said its investigation remains open and could yield more information.
In a Jan. 26 game against the Clippers, bettors profited heavily on Porter's unders, too, with some wagers in the five-figures.
Porter's over/unders that day at DraftKings were 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 3-pointers, giving bettors the option to wager on him to attain more or less of each of those figures.
DraftKings reported that the under on Porter's 3-pointers was the most profitable wager that day. Porter attempted zero 3-pointers and finished the game with zero points, three rebounds and one assist.
Porter also left that game early, playing just four minutes after citing a re-aggravation of an eye injury.
"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 gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "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. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
Jontay is Michael Porter Jr.'s younger brother by a year. Jontay Porter had been a five-star recruit out of high school, joining his older brother at Missouri. While MPJ became a lottery pick and a key member of the 2023 Nuggets championship team — signing a five-year, $179 million deal in the process — Jontay Porter has struggled to establish himself in professional basketball.
Jontay tore his ACL and MCL during a scrimmage in Oct. 2018 while still at Missouri. Then, he tore his ACL again during rehab in early 2019. Despite the injuries, he opted to put his name in the ring for the 2019 NBA Draft, where he went undrafted.
He then bounced around the G League before signing a two-way contract with the Raptors in December, which paid him a prorated salary of over $400,000 and a chance to reestablish a once-promising career.
And now, that's all been washed away with the press of a button.
