The American league banned Jontay Porter for life this Wednesday because he violated the rules by participating in a sports betting network. An internal investigation revealed that the 6-foot-10 forward bet on NBA games, limited his participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and provided confidential information to others.
The scandal broke out days after the meeting between the Raptors and the Sacramento Kings on March 20, in which Porter retired due to illness after 2 minutes and 43 seconds on the court and with some figures more than discreet: no points and only two rebounds. The investigation determined that prior to that game, Porter shared confidential information about his health status with an individual he knew was an NBA gambler. An $80,000 bet at an online sportsbook that Porter would underperform to win $1.1 million was the starting point of the NBA investigation, which revealed some other irregularities, the league explained in a statement. It was also determined that Porter limited his participation to favor betting on his performance in at least one NBA game.