Toronto's Jontay Porter given lifetime ban from NBA after gambling probe

The National Basketball Association on Wednesday announced it was issuing a lifetime ban to Toronto Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter following a probe into gambling allegations.

The investigation, the league said, "found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes" as well as "betting on NBA games."

"The league’s investigation found that prior to the Raptors’ March 20 game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor," the statement reads. "Another individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports book, to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform in the March 20 game."

The probe found that Porter "limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game." The league said that in the March 20 game, Porter played just three minutes and claimed he felt ill. The $80,000 proposition bet on that game was frozen and not paid out "due to unusual betting activity and actions of the player."

"In addition, from January through March 2024, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the Raptors’ NBA G League affiliate, Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account," the statement continues. "These bets ranged in size from $15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094. The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965. None of the bets involved any game in which Porter played. Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet that the Raptors would lose. All three bets lost."

In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, "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."

Porter joined the NBA in 2020, signing with the Memphis Grizzlies after going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft. Porter also played for the G-League affiliates of the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons before signing as a two-way player with the Raptors last year. The two-way contract allows players to log time with both the NBA club and its G-League affiliate.

Porter played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers, earning SEC Sixth Man of the year honors in 2018. His older brother, Michael Porter Jr., plays for the NBA's Denver Nuggets.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.