Jontay Porter’s NBA career is over.
Commissioner Adam Silver has issued a lifetime ban for Raptors forward Jontay Porter, after an investigation into whether he left at least two games early to influence the outcome of prop bets.
Via Shams Charania of TheAthletic.com, the NBA found that Porter “disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.” The NBA investigation also concluded that, before a game on March 20, “Porter disclosed confidential information about his health to an NBA bettor.” Someone else connected to Porter placed an $80,000 parlay, with potential winnings of $1.1 million, that Porter would underperform in the game. That bet was frozen.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” Silver said in a statement. “While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
Prop bets based on individual player performance are far more susceptible to foul play than bets based on team performance. For any player, the easiest way to influence an outcome is to fake an injury or illness and exit early, allowing the unders to hit.
The NCAA wants all states to ban prop bets. Some have. Frankly, every sport should join the NCAA. It not only creates a strong temptation for misconduct but also makes individual players the focus of sharp criticism when they fail to make their numbers.
Already, high-level athletes easily can become dehumanized. Tying specific wagers to their performance makes them no different than a pair of dice, a deck of cards, or a steel ball that bounces around on a roulette wheel.
