Raptors’ Jontay Porter gets lifetime ban from NBA after gambling investigation finds ‘blatant’ violations

“The Raptors are fully supportive of the league’s decision to ban Jontay Porter from the NBA and are grateful for the swift resolution to this investigation. We will continue to co-operate with all ongoing inquiries,” the team said in a statement Wednesday.

Whatever investigations the team took into Porter’s character and history before Toronto signed him did not go deep enough.

“We all did due diligence and I think from all the reports and everything we had, I think this was nothing we could know about,” Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri said Wednesday, hours before Porter’s ban was announced. “We go out there and try to do the best due diligence we can with everybody individually. And we did that with Jontay, too.”

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.

Another individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 (U.S.) parlay proposition bet with an online sportsbook, to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform, the investigation alleges.

In that game, Porter played only three minutes, claiming that he felt ill. Due to the unusual betting activity and actions of Porter, the $80,000 bet was frozen and not paid out.

The release also said that between January and March, Porter allegedly placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. The bets ranged from $15 to $22,000 and totalled $54,094. The total winnings from these bets was $76,059, which came out to a profit of $21,965. None of these bets involved a game in which Porter played.

The league also accuses Porter of betting on the Raptors to lose on a multi-game parlay bet. That bet lost.

The league said the investigation’s findings are based on what’s available as of now, and the probe remains open. 

When the scandal first hit the public, Porter’s teammates, coaches and the Raptors front office offered no significant public comment. A couple of teammates said they hoped the accusations weren’t true but no one leaped to his defence.

Porter joined the Raptors in December on a two-way contract. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, in 13.8 minutes over 26 games with Toronto, while also playing for the G League’s Raptors 905. He wasn’t central to the team this season, and was a prospect at best.

He was best known for selling his No. 11 to Bruce Brown after the Raptors acquired Brown from Indiana in February. Brown paid Porter $10,000 to give up his number.

The Raptors would have had access to background investigations into Porter. Teams put together extensive dossiers on players when they first appear on the NBA radar. They delve into the off-court interests and relationships of teenagers who are potential draft picks.

The Raptors look didn’t go deep enough in this instance, nor did the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons, who signed Porter to smaller deals before Toronto did.

The league’s move to dismiss Porter shows how serious it takes such conduct.

“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with the 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.

The players’ union added “adherence to league gambling policies is paramount to maintaining the integrity of our athletes and protecting the future of the sport. The NBPA will make sure Jontay has access to the resources he needs during this time, in light of the NBA’s decision. All players, including Jontay, should be afforded appropriate due process and opportunity to answer to any charges brought against them.”