Raptors Share Initial Reactions to Jontay Porter Investigation

The Toronto Raptors say they were unaware of anything untoward involving Jontay Porter until news of the investigation broke Monday night

Nothing ever seemed amiss with Jontay Porter.

When the Toronto Raptors center checked himself out of games on Jan. 26 and March 20, nobody raised an eyebrow. It appeared to be an oft-injured player once again dealing with a nagging injury and an illness.

“From my perspective as a coach, I never doubt injuries, I never doubt honestly of players,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Monday. “Obviously, I never had a situation like this before.”

But now questions are being raised about Porter following unusual betting activity that has prompted an NBA investigation into the 24-year-old, ESPN first reported Monday.

What actually occurred on those nights remains unclear.

What is certain is DraftKings Sportsbook noticed a flurry of unusual activity on Porter to fail to meet certain statistical thresholds in each of those two games, ESPN reported. In both instances, money poured in on Porter’s unders, suggesting betters didn’t think Toronto’s backup center would have a very good game. Those betters turned out to be correct as Porter exited both games early and failed to reach his expected statistical thresholds in both games in question.

To be clear, any involvement involving Porter in gambling related to NBA activity is strictly prohibited and always has been. The league and NBA Players’ Association meet at least once a year to go over all gambling-related rules to ensure everyone is aware that gambling on NBA, G League, or WNBA games is not allowed.

At times, it’s made for unusual bedfellows.

The league and its players are racking in hundreds of millions of dollars through gambling partnerships and its association with sportsbooks, but players themselves must not associate with anything that could be untoward.

“It's definitely awkward,” said Raptors guard Garrett Temple, who is also a vice-president of the NBPA Executive Committee. “You watch a game, and you may see FanDuel or DraftKings as a big-time sponsor for a team, but obviously it's illegal for us to (bet on) any type of professional basketball.”

“As players, you don't really think about it,” Temple added. “As a veteran, I don't really think about it as much because (not betting on basketball) has always been a rule. It's not as if a rule change happened. So it is awkward but at the same time, like I say, we understand what we're getting ourselves into.”

The Players’ Association is going to support Porter throughout this process and the hope, as Temple said, it that what’s implied to have occurred is not the reality.

For the Raptors, it’s just the latest twist in what’s been a disappointing and strange season. Porter’s emergence was supposed to be a feel-good story for the organization and instead, he’s become mired in quite possibly one of the most alarming gambling-related controversies in decades.

“Easily the most change, … the most things happening, personal levels, injuries,” said Temple who entered the league in 2009. “This is easily the, I guess you could say, the craziest season … I've been a part of in terms of all of these … things happening for sure.”