Adam Silver: Jontay Porter Could Get NBA Ban If Betting Allegations Are Substantiated

Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter may have played his final game in the NBA.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that Porter could be banished if the league investigation finds that he was involved in gambling, as ESPN's Tim Bontemps relayed.

Silver said what Porter is being accused of is a "cardinal sin."

Last month, Kevin Dotson of CNN reported NBA spokesperson Tim Frank said the league was "looking into" the Porter situation. At the time, the forward had been inactive for two games because of what was listed as "personal reasons."

As Dotson explained, DraftKings Sportsbook raised attention about a Jan. 26 game between the Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers as well as a March 20 game between Toronto and the Sacramento Kings.

Porter left the Jan. 26 game after zero points in four minutes with an apparent eye injury, which was notable because DraftKings users betting the under on his three-pointers was one of the biggest NBA wins of the evening.

As for March 20, he left after zero points and three minutes with an illness on a day when DraftKings users once again won big on his prop bets.

Seeing how Porter is merely a role player who is not a significant part of the Raptors' rotation, the amount of money placed on Porter's props raised concerns and elevated the situation to another level.

Sam Quinn of CBS Sports noted the NBA forbids anyone affiliated with the league as a player or employee from gambling on any NBA property. Players must also attend one anti-gambling training session each season and are fined $100,000 if they miss it.

Porter is the brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. and played 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2020-21 and 26 games for the Raptors this season.

He hasn't played in a game since March 22.