Toronto’s Jontay Porter could face life ban if proven he was involved in gambling

This Wednesday evening, NBA commissioner Adam Silver took the microphone to address many subjects around the league, including the situation surrounding Jontay Porter, who is currently under investigation after multiple instances of betting irregularities during the past months. According to the executive, gambling is considered a “cardinal sin” and the player could face life ban. 

“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me,” he said after the league’s annual board of governors meetings. “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.”

Silver said he’s ready to use his power to punish the Toronto player severely. “That’s the level of authority I have here. 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,” he insisted.

As the NBA's gambling investigation continues, Jontay Porter could end up being banned for life by Commissioner Adam Silver. https://t.co/1lPAo55Lod

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 11, 2024

The investigation is based on multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past months, especially gambling props from games on January 26 and then March 20. An NBA spokesperson then confirmed the news last week, revealing that the league is “looking into it.”

This wouldn’t be the first betting scandal in the NBA, but the feel around the league is that gambling is only gaining more and more power both around fans and players. As sport betting has been legalized across various states, Silver acknowledged that they are to tread carefully in order to eradicate this from the competition.

“At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than the integrity of the competition,” Silver said. “And so, any issue raised around that is of great concern to me and to all commissioners, to all people who are safeguards, who are all people who are in a position and have a responsibility to safeguard the game. Again, this is a burgeoning industry in the United States.”

The commissioner noted that gambling is practiced legally in many countries around the world, and they can use them as examples. “It’s been legal in other places in the world for decades. There’s lessons to be learned from the way that sports betting is monitored and regulated in other jurisdictions,” he explained.

Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. defends brother Jontay amid betting investigation: ‘I highly doubt’

When asked about it, Michael Porter Jr. explained that he doesn’t know more details than the press does, but guarantees his younger brother is innocent.

“Jontay loves the game of basketball. I’ve known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is and I know he’s excited to play basketball, and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy,” he said about the two-way Raptors player.

Nevertheless, Jontay’s older sibling acknowledged that NBA athletes are very much aware on how their performances affect gamblers and these situations are only increasing in the league. “Yeah, especially the last few years you hear people in the crowd saying what they need you to score tonight or what they don’t want you to score.

“Every night you’re disappointing someone. You’re disappointing people if you score too much because they may have bet on the under, and you’re disappointing people if you didn’t score enough. So, it’s a part of the game now,” Michael revealed.