The NBA announced Wednesday that Porter has received a lifetime ban for violating the league's gaming rules, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Commissioner Adam Silver suggested last week that a lifetime ban from the NBA was on the table for Porter, and the league officially confirmed the punishment Wednesday. Per a press release from the NBA, Porter "disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor" and limited his playing time to impact his prop bets in at least one Raptors game. Porter also placed at least 13 bets on NBA games between January and March of 2024, although none of the wagers involved a game in which Porter played. The league's investigation remains open, but Porter will be permanently barred from playing in the league.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: May face lifetime ban from NBA
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that Porter (personal), who is under investigation by the league following multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months, could face a permanently ban from the league if the investigation finds that the 24-year-old had any involvement in the increased betting interest surrounding his prop bets earlier in the season, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports. "I have an enormous range of discipline available to me," Silver said. "But it's a cardinal sin, what he's accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. Because there's nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe."
Porter hasn't suited up for Toronto since March 22, with the Raptors listing him out for "personal reasons" while the investigation is ongoing. He'll almost certainly remain away from the Raptors for the rest of the season, and based on Silver's comments, Porter's future in the NBA moving forward would appear to be in significant question. The league's investigation stems from prop bets involving Porter for games played Jan. 26 and March 20, when the center exited those contests early due to an eye injury and an illness while playing just four and three minutes, respectively. According to the DraftKings Sportsbook, "unders" on Porter prop bets ended up being the biggest moneymakers for NBA bettors on both of those dates. For his part, Porter has yet to issue a public comment on the NBA's investigation.
Raptors' Jontay Porter: Under investigation for gambling
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Porter, who is listed as out for Monday's game against the Nets due to a personal matter, has been away from the team because he's the subject of an NBA investigation into irregularities on prop bets involving him for games played Jan. 26 and March 20, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Porter is missing his second straight game Monday, but he looks as though he could be out for much longer while the investigation remains active. Before missing Saturday's 112-109 loss to the Wizards, Porter had played in six straight games and averaged 5.8 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in 19.3 minutes during that stretch. His ongoing absence should pave the way for Mouhamadou Gueye to stay in the rotation as the primary backup to starting center Kelly Olynyk, though Toronto will likely make use of small-ball lineups, too.
Porter (personal) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Nets, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Porter will miss his second straight contest while tending to a personal matter. Mouhamadou Gueye, Jordan Nwora and Jalen McDaniels should continue to benefit as a result of Porter's absence.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Won't play Saturday
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Porter is out for Saturday's game versus the Wizards due to personal reasons, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
Porter's absence will likely open up minutes for Mouhamadou Gueye, Jordan Nwora and Jalen McDaniels. Porter's next chance to suit up is Monday's matchup with Brooklyn.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Good to go against Thunder
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Porter (illness) isn't on the injury report for Friday's game versus the Thunder.
Porter is set to play Friday after leaving Wednesday's contest early with a non-COVID illness. Porter is averaging 6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 21.6 minutes across his previous five outings.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Leaves early with illness
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Porter won't return to Wednesday's game against the Kings due to an illness, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
Porter played only three minutes before his exit, finishing with two rebounds and missing his only field-goal attempt while recording no other statistics. The Raptors are off Thursday before returning to action Friday against the Thunder.
Raptors' Jontay Porter: Swats four shots vs. Pistons
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Porter posted 10 points (3-6 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, six assists, four blocks and one steal in 21 minutes during Wednesday's 113-104 loss to Detroit.
Porter played 20-plus minutes for the second straight game with Chris Boucher sidelined with a partial MCL tear in his right knee. Porter built off his 14-point performance Monday with a solid 10/6/6 stat line, and his four blocks were both a game and career high. He looks to be a part of the Raptors' rotation moving forward with both Boucher and Jakob Poeltl (finger) out indefinitely.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Re-enters rotation Monday
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Porter ended with 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 3Pt), five assists, two rebounds and one steal across 22 minutes off the bench during Monday's 125-119 loss to the Nuggets.
Porter hadn't played in either of the Raptors' past two games with Chris Boucher (knee) stepping in as the primary backup to starting center Kelly Olynyk, but Porter moved back into the rotation Monday after Boucher was diagnosed with a sprained MCL, which will sideline him indefinitely. Facing off against older brother Michael Porter on an NBA court for the first time in their careers, Jontay rose to the occasion and set new career highs in scoring and made three-pointers. Along with Boucher, Jakob Poeltl (finger) is also out indefinitely, so consistent minutes available in the Toronto frontcourt for Porter over the next couple weeks. As a two-way player, however, Porter has a limited number of games in which he can be active for the remainder of the season, so managers who are planning on streaming him for a given game should check Toronto's injury report prior to tipoff to ensure that he hasn't been assigned to the G League.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Well-rounded line in G League win
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Porter supplied 21 points (7-15 FG, 5-12 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block across 36 minutes in Raptors 905's 135-125 win over Rip City on Tuesday.
Porter turned in the second-highest scoring and rebounding totals on Raptors 905 for the night while checking in third in assists. The five made threes were also a season high for Porter, who's proven capable of contributing across the stat sheet.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Available for Wednesday
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Porter (ankle) will be available for Wednesday's game versus the Pacers.
Porter could play some marginal minutes behind Kelly Olynyk on Wednesday evening, but it's unlikely he'll be a large enough part of the rotation to make an impact in fantasy hoops.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Upgraded to questionable
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Porter (ankle) has been upgraded to questionable ahead of Wednesday's tilt with Indiana.
Porter was listed as doubtful on the initial injury report, so he is trending in the right direction. However, he's not a large enough part of the rotation for his playing status to impact fantasy hoops.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Doubtful for Wednesday
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Porter is doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Pacers with a right ankle sprain.
The Raptors will likely play it safe with the All-Star break looming. Porter's expected absence probably won't affect the rotation much, as he's played a total of 21 minutes across three February appearances.
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Raptors' Jontay Porter: Gets 11 minutes in return
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Porter (back) tallied seven points (3-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt), three rebounds and one steal across 11 minutes in Friday's 107-104 win over the Raptors.
Porter stepped back in as the Raptors' backup center after a four-game absence due to back spasms. He and Thaddeus Young worked in a timeshare at center for much of January, but even though Young has since been traded away, Porter's outlook for playing time looks muddled moving forward. The Raptors recently returned starting center Jakob Poeltl from an extended absence due to a sprained ankle and acquired another veteran big man (Kelly Olynyk) on Thursday, potentially leaving Porter third on the depth chart. Olynyk didn't play Friday in a coach's decision, but he'll presumably enter the rotation as Poeltl's primary backup once he's had a chance to practice with the Raptors.
