NBA getting tight on Jontay Porter
Federal prosecutors have raised alarming allegations against former NBA player Jontay Porter, claiming that he was coerced into throwing games due to an overwhelming gambling debt.
Working with Long Phi Pham, also known as Bruce, Porter allegedly engaged in a scheme involving placing prop bets on games where he would intentionally underperform.
The court documents reveal a sinister plot where Porter, struggling with substantial gambling debts, agreed to manipulate game outcomes in exchange for debt relief, leading to illicit gains for his co-conspirators. In a detailed account, the prosecution points to specific instances where the player exhibited suspicious behavior during games, such as abruptly exiting matches under pretenses after minimal playtime.
The orchestrated plan involved communication through encrypted platforms like the Telegram group chat app, where Porter informed his collaborators of his intent to sabotage his performance in select games.
The NBA banned Jontay Porter for life in April
Raptors player Jontay Porter was handed a lifetime ban from the NBA following a thorough investigation that revealed he had divulged confidential information to sports bettors and placed wagers on NBA games that also included betting against his own team.
This decision made Porter only the second person to be banned from the league by Commissioner Adam Silver, the other being former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014.
Silver described Porter’s violations as “blatant,” emphasizing the paramount importance of protecting the integrity of NBA competition for fans, teams, and all involved with the sport.
The league’s investigation was initiated after unusual gambling patterns surrounding Porter’s performance in a game on March 20 against Sacramento were reported by licensed sports betting operators and a betting monitoring organization.
Additionally, further investigation uncovered that Porter had placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using another person’s betting account, with wagers ranging from $15 to $22,000 and generating a net winning of $21,965.
Notably, three of these wagers were multi-game parlays, including a bet where Porter wagered on the Raptors to lose, none of which were games in which he played.
Silver expressed concerns about the sufficiency of the current regulatory framework and the types of bets offered on NBA games and players, highlighting the need to work closely with stakeholders in the industry to safeguard the league and the integrity of the game.
Porter, who was on a two-way contract, would not play for the Raptors again and was listed as out for all of Toronto’s remaining games for the season due to personal reasons.
Jontay Porter’s actions violate the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which strictly prohibits players from directly or indirectly wagering money or anything of value on any game or event in the association.