(ReliableNews.org) – Jontay Porter played for the Toronto Raptors as a forward for the team. This season, the younger basketball athlete played in 26 games for Toronto and 11 for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2020/2021 season. But Porter’s time with the NBA is now over, as a lapse in judgment got him banned.
On April 17, the league announced that it had ousted the athlete and barred him from playing with the NBA for reportedly betting on games, passing on his health information to gamblers, and using illness to influence a bet.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement about the move, saying there was “nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition.” The league simply couldn’t allow the ball player’s “blatant violations” of the rules to go unpunished. The league has very strict rules about its players and gambling.
Porter is accused of passing on his personal health information to a known “NBA bettor” before his game on March 20. He then allegedly faked an illness after just a few minutes on the court so that person would financially benefit.
The online bet was reportedly for $80,000 and hinged on Porter underperforming. The payout would’ve been $1.1 million, but the NBA halted the payout, noting that it was suspicious. In the months before, the league said Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games through a friend’s account online and made about $22,000 overall.
Porter reportedly violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which says the commissioner’s decision is “final, binding, and conclusive and unappealable.” The player has not publicly responded to the charges or the ban.
Raptors President Masai Ujiri said he was surprised because “none of [them] saw this coming.” Ujiri said, “You don’t want this for the kid,” the team, or the league. Still, the Raptors supported the league’s decision and were “grateful for the swift resolution” to the matter.
Copyright 2024, ReliableNews.org
