NBA Commissioner Comments on Investigation Into Raptors Center
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter may have committed the "cardinal sin" if allegations are true
Jontay Porter's may be facing a lifetime ban from the NBA.
The league has confirmed its investigation into the Toronto Raptors center following a series of unusual gambling activity involving Porter, first reported by ESPN. On Jan. 26 and March 20, there was an unusually high amount of money placed on bets for Porter to go under his expected stats. In both instances, Porter exited the game early, allowing those who had placed the unders bets to win.
Porter has been away from the Raptors for "personal matters" since March 23.
The unusual activity indicates Porter could have been involved in the fraudulent activity to impact betting lines. NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly called the allegations a "cardinal sin" and indicated that Porter could be banned permanently should there be evidence linking Porter to the activity, ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported.
"There is nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling and betting on our games and that is a direct player involvement. So the investigation is ongoing but the consequences could be very severe," Silver told reporters Wednesday.
Porter had been Toronto's third string center earlier this year and it was extremely strange for there to be so much money being placed on such a relatively unknown player.
"People were trying to do whatever they could to bet Jontay Porter props [against the Clippers]," one source told ESPN. "And then, just a few days ago, the same thing. We had a bunch of people trying to bet under for more."
Porter left Toronto's game on Jan. 26 with what was described as a reaggrevated eye injury. He had suffered the injury in Toronto's previous game but the injury had not been disclosed on the injury report for Jan. 26.
In March, Porter left early with an illness during Toronto's game against the Sacramento Kings. Again, there was no mention of the illness on Toronto's injury report prior to the game.
