The NBA has banned Toronto’s Jontay Porter for life after he violated the league’s guidelines around gambling.
The league says its investigation found Porter disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.
The investigation surrounded Porter’s performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. In both of those games, Porter played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness — and did not come close to the numbers that were offered to bettors as prop wagers in those contests. That means those who basically bet against Porter would have cashed in, because he left those games before reaching the lines set by sportsbooks for his points and rebounds in those contests.
Some sportsbooks have said they were alerted to odd betting patterns surrounding the Porter prop offerings in those games, which means it’s likely that the league — which has business relationships with many wagering companies — may have received some of that same information.
Porter, 24, joined the Raptors this season on a two-way contract and appeared in 26 games, making five starts. The six-foot-11 centre averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 13.8 minutes this season.
More to come