Jontay Porter to Face Felony Charge for Role in Sports Betting Fix

The former NBA player banned for life will face a felony charge for his role in a sports betting fix operation, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

Former Raptors center Jontay Porter became the first major athlete to be banned for life in North America since the inception of legalized, online sports betting in the U.S. in 2018. Porter — the brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. — recused himself from at least two NBA games in order to help others profit.

Porter was permanently banned from the NBA a day after the Action Network reported that he had managed a VIP account with FanDuel that bet millions of dollars over three years.

Porter is alleged by prosecutors to have run up a substantial gambling debt to Long Phi Pham, 38, and his co-conspirators. In order to remove himself from the debt, prosecutors said, Porter was encouraged to pull himself during games in which the conspirators had large wagers on his unders.

In a January game against the Clippers, Porter informed Pham and others that he intended on feigning an injury to remove himself from a game early. A co-conspirator profited $40,250 by betting on his unders, prosecutors said.

Later, in a March game against the Kings, Porter informed a group of bettors about his health status. This group of bettors then placed an $80,000 parlay to win $1.1 million on Porter to underperform several different prop bets in the same 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, which prompted the investigation that eventually ousted Porter.

Pham and his three conspirators have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

ESPN reported that the charge against Porter isn't specified. Federal prosecutors filed a criminal information sheet on Tuesday, which shows the case is related to Pham and his conspirators, the outlet reported.