
The NBA took the unprecedented step of imposing a lifetime ban on a player. The decision, announced on Wednesday, represents the first such ban since sports gambling was legalized on a broad scale within the United States.
The ban was imposed on one Jontay Porter, a 24-year-old former member of the Toronto Raptors organization. The sweeping judgment comes after an intensive league investigation revealed Porter had shared inside information with sports bettors, and made attempts to manipulate the outcome of at least two games to favor a group of gamblers with whom he was associated.
A passionate advocate for sportsmanship, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a stern statement on the matter: “The integrity of NBA competition is paramount – for all our fans, our teams, and everyone associated with our sport. Jontay Porter’s heinous violation of game rules could not go unanswered, hence we have served him the highest level of punishment.”
“In the wake of legal sports betting,” Silver continued, “we’ve increased transparency to track and identify suspicious activities. However, this incident brings into question the robustness of the existing regulatory framework, including the kinds of bets being placed on our games and players.”
Porter, known to switch between the NBA Raptors and their development affiliate, the Raptors 905, has played a mere 37 NBA games in his two-year professional career. Ironically, the investigation disclosed that Porter even bet on his own team losing at least once, despite NBA rules strictly prohibiting players from betting on NBA games. It didn’t matter whether they’re playing in the game or not.
The most severe violation, however, revolved around a game held on March 20th against the Sacramento Kings. Porter revealed about his health status to someone he knew was an NBA bettor. The bettor quickly risked $80,000 on Porter underperforming. The bet proved astoundingly profitable, raking in a cool $1.1 million after Porter left the game just minutes into play, claiming ill-health.
The nature and amount of the wager were such that it triggered the alarm at DraftKings, who refused to pay out the win and promptly alerted the authorities about potential game-fixing.
In the NBA’s long history, only 19 players have been honored with a lifetime ban, and now Porter joins this notorious list. However, the investigation into the extent of Porter’s allegedly criminal activities is still in progress, and the NBA is sharing its findings proactively with federal authorities like the Department of Justice and FBI.
If corroborated that Porter was in cahoots with rogue sports bettors, he could face a battery of federal charges such as wire fraud. A fact worth mentioning would be that prior to his NBA career, Porter openly admitted to having bet “millions” on sports through a VIP account with FanDuel.
In the aftermath of these revelations, it wouldn’t be surprising if the NBA soon adopted the NCAA’s stringent stance against player prop bets, which are currently thought to exacerbate the harassment of student athletes. Hard to imagine how a singular player like Porter could so profoundly endanger the integrity of a much-loved American sport.