(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
As expected, the NBA has officially laid the hammer down on Jontay Porter.
The Toronto Raptors forward was under investigation for a gambling-related incident, and the consequences were brutal.
According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the league has officially given him a lifetime ban.
This isn’t much of a surprise, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had recently stated that what he had done was “a cardinal sin.”
The league released a statement announcing and explaining this decision, claiming that the investigation revealed that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, as well as limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes and betting on NBA games.
NBA has leveled a lifetime ban on Jontay Porter for gambling.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 17, 2024
The 24-year-old hasn’t played since March 25, with the Toronto Raptors removing him from the lineup before tip-off against the Brooklyn Nets.
He’s Michael Porter Jr.’s brother, and the Denver Nuggets star had stepped up in his defense to claim that he loves the game of basketball too much to do anything to put his career in jeopardy.
However, irregular activity on his betting props led to this investigation, and the evidence seemed to be quite incriminatory.
Porter will now have to explore different avenues if he wants to continue his career as a professional basketball player, most likely taking his talents overseas.
Anything that puts the integrity of the game in doubt should have no place in the league.
Then again, with sportsbooks gaining more popularity and ground within professional sport leagues, it seemed like this was just bound to happen sooner rather than later.
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