Jontay Porter | Photo: NBA
Jontay Porter is a name that doesn’t mean much to fans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The basketball player in the ranks of the Toronto “Raptors” finally got a constant and stable playing time in the period from March 12 to 23, spending about 20 minutes on the court and had the best cut of his career.
The power forward also became an interesting prospect for fantasy players, as he managed to rack up virtual points in five of six games during this period. a basketball player who for many he owners was enough, but that’s not what the story is about.
Porter is currently not allowed on the court anymore and probably he has already played his last match in the NBA. And not because he plays badly, but because he got caught in a betting scandal. Also, it’s so obvious that it’s unlikely he’ll get away with it.
Background information
Jontay, 24, is the younger brother of Denver Nuggets player and NBA champion Michael Porter. He has played in the NBA for two seasons and not in a row, but this (2023/24) and 2020/21. Namely, he returned after a three-year break.
In 2019, he was not selected in the NBA draft, but a year later he signed a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, which was also extended. However, Memphis changed its mind after a little more than half a year and fired Porter. Earlier this season, after playing in the G League, he signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors and played 26 games with the first team.
As you can see, his career was jerky. Porter tried to break into the NBA and did not leave for Europe or some Asian championship. And he also managed to prove that he can be a rotation player for Toronto. Early in the season, his playing time was sporadic, but in March, thanks to injured competitors, he made the most of his opportunities.
Porter is averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season, but in the aforementioned five games he’s shown a versatile performance, doing everything on the court – scoring, assisting, rebounding and blocking.
Statistics in the recent cutoff
- Against “Nuggets” – 14 points, 5 rez. passes
- Against “Pistons” – 10 points, 6 rebounds. balls, 6 rez. passes
- Against “Magic” – 4 shots. balls, 4 rez. passes, 3 style2 blocks
- Against “Magic” – 4 points, 7 rebounds. balls, 3 rez. passes
- Against “Thunder” – 7 points, 8 rez. passes, 2 style
Toto games
- Against “Clippers” (27.01) – 4:24 minutes, 3 photos balls, 1 rez. pass
- Against “Kings” (21.03) – 2:43 minutes, 2 photos balls
Weirdness in two matches
DraftKings, a popular betting company in the NBA and USA, which also cooperates with both the league and several brilliant players, such as LeBron James, observed atypical user activity directly on Porter’s performance in two matches. The first was on January 27 against the Los Angeles Clippers and the second on March 21 against the Sacramento Kings. In both games, the basketball player was only on the court for a few minutes due to “injuries”.
The first game
Against the Clippers, there was an increased interest of bettors in Porter’s performance and large amounts were placed on the “under” indicators. Specifically, in this game he will collect under 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and make under 0.5 long-range shots. He ended the game early due to an alleged eye injury and ended up with 0 points, 3 steals and 1 assist in less than five minutes. Also, he did not make a single three-pointer and thus the combined bet was successful.
The reason for leaving the game was an eye injury he had suffered four days earlier in another game. Porter claimed he could not continue the game due to eye discomfort. “DraftKings” announced the next day that the highest sums in the lottery of that day were won on Porter’s 3-pointers – that is, that they would not be made. Two days later, he went on the court in another game and spent 19 minutes on the court, collecting 12+7.
The second game
On March 21, increased interest in Porter’s performance was recorded again. The situation was very similar – he spent a few minutes on the field and left the match early, allegedly due to illness. There were betting options for this game such as over/under 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Porter had 2 rebounds and was held scoreless in less than three minutes. DraftKings found in its report that the biggest money of the day was once again won by betting on Porter’s “under” numbers.
“How can you be so stupid…”
“He portrayed these ‘traumas’ unequivocally. I don’t understand why bookies even offer “over”/”under” bets on a basketball player like Jontay Porter, who is a two-way player?” on “The Mismatch” podcast, the NBA said an insider Kevin O’Connor. “It looks to me like it’s pretty clear what’s going on here. I think that the NBA should set an example and impose a lifetime ban. Also, a two-way player is the best case scenario. If it was his brother Michael, then the problem would be much bigger.”
“Knowing that there are more and more betting companies around the NBA right now, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened,” co-host Chris Vernon added. “It’s mind-boggling, because how can you be so stupid and not think that a red flag would go up when all of a sudden a lot of people start betting big and Jontay Porter. First, as Jontay Porter, he needs to understand that the “red flag” is to bet on him at the root. Second, bet on ‘under’ scores? It’s pathetic!”
“I could still understand that he bets on his “over” figures, because then he brings benefits to the team. Now it happens – he asks his friends if they want highlight safe bet? Put money on the fact that I won’t make 3-pointers and I won’t! He could promise people that the rate will go outbecause he just won’t make a long shot,” Vernon is shocked.
Attempts to deposit large sums
Sources from other betting companies told ESPN that unusual activity on Porter’s performance was also seen elsewhere. In the January game, several accounts tried to make $10,000 to $20,000 worth of bets on his “under” scores. It is noteworthy that in the US bookmakers, usually the limits for one specific bet are about 1000 to 2000 dollars, so the betting companies were surprised by the desperate attempts to bet much larger amounts on Porter than allowed.
“People were trying to do everything they could to put big money on Porter’s under,” an anonymous betting industry source told ESPN. “Many tried to place bets above the limits.”
And such a scheme can really bring significant financial benefits. Porter’s salary this season is 450 thousand dollars and a couple of such “deals” can provide him with another salary this season, so the “motivation” can be understood. On the other hand, his brother has a five-year contract worth 180 million with the Nuggets, and it seems that he can share a little to bračkam should not participate in such schemes…
People on social media have also noticed that Porter is involved in investments, cryptocurrencies, and also owns a company that sells various financial “advice.”
Coach and brother comment on the situation
“I never question the injuries and the integrity of the players,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “But I’ve never been in this situation. I haven’t talked about it with the other players, but I know that no one wants such situations to happen in the team.”
“I know Jontay loves basketball. He wants to go on the court and represent the Raptors. I know as much as you guys,” his brother Michael said when asked by reporters about Jontay’s situation. “I’ve known him my whole life and I know what kind of guy he is, so I highly doubt he would do anything that could negatively affect his basketball career.”
NBA players and team representatives are prohibited from betting on NBA matches. The measures of punishment are different – fines, temporary suspension from the team or even termination of contracts. The NBA has a special team of employees who investigate betting “anomalies” related to NBA matches.
In conclusion, Porter’s situation was described very well by another basketball expert, Andrew Sharp. “The only plausible reason people are offered bets on Jontay Porter at all is to try to deliberately catch those doing this sort of thing,” he writes.
Tags: Scandal NBA brother Nuggets star pretend injured profit lottery
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