Jontay Porter, the former Missouri Tiger basketball player who was connected to a betting scandal in the NBA, officially pleaded guilty to federal charges this week.
The ex-Tornoto Raptors player pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in a New York federal court. Porter apologized to Judge James R. Cho for his actions.
“I know what I did was wrong and unlawful, and I’m deeply sorry.”
Porter made a bet against the Raptors
Lawmakers have not been able to legalize Missouri sports betting in the last several years. A referendum expected to be on November’s ballot will ask Missouri residents to make sports betting legal.
As an NBA player, Poter is prohibited from betting on NBA games anywhere. In fact, players, team and league employees cannot bet on the NBA or any of its properties, such as the WNBA, G-League or Summer League, as noted in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. They can bet on other sports, but only if sports betting is legal where they’re at.
The 24-year-old played in 26 games this past season for the Raptors. He played in 11 contests during the 2020-21 season with the Memphis Grizzlies. Before the NBA, Porter played for Missouri for a single season, averaging 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game in 2017-18.
According to the NBA, Porter placed at least 13 bets on games he didn’t play in. He was using another person’s account. At that time, Porter wasn’t playing with the Raptors. He was suiting up for its G-League team, Raptors 905. Of those bets, at least one was against the Toronto Raptors.
His bets varied, but in total, he wagered $54,004, the NBA said. He ended up making $21,965 from those wagers.
Porter tipped off bettors
The NBA’s investigation also found that Porter essentially threw his performance in at least one game.
Four other individuals were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Porter allegedly told them his plans for at least one game so the men could place bets on his statistical performance.
Porter owed at least one of these men, Ammar Awawdeh, “significant gambling debts,” according to the complaint filed in June. In turn, Porter told Awawdeh and the others that he would exit games on Jan. 26 and March 20 early due to health problems.
On Jan. 26, Porter played just four minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, failing to score but grabbing three rebounds and an assist. In the March 20 loss to the Sacramento Kings, Porter missed his only shot and grabbed two rebounds in just two minutes of game time.
For reference, Porter played 21:58, 20:49, 26:50 and 22:60 in his four games leading up to his short performance against the Kings. Some of the men in the complaint strung together a prop bet on the under for Porter’s statistical categories for the game.
That’s where things fell apart. The men wagered $80,000 on the prop bet, which would have paid out more than $1 million. The betting company froze the bet, and it ultimately was not paid out.
That red flag led to a closer look at what was going on.
Porter knew that he was being looked at. He sent a message to the men saying that they “might get hit w(ith) a rico” (referring to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act charges) in early April shortly before everything came to light. In that same string of messages, Porter asked the men to delete “all the stuff” from their phones.
NBA opted to ban the former Missouri Tiger for life
Porter wasn’t the first NBA player to be banned due to a connection with a betting scandal. In the 1950s and 1960s, a total of 12 players faced similar consequences. Of those, Jack Molinas was the highest profile player. At the time, he played for the Fort Wayne Pistons and was an All-Star.
The NBA has banned players for other reasons. The most recent ban happened in 2016, when OJ Mayo was banned due to violating the league’s substance abuse policy. That ban was the first player ban since 1995, when Richard Dumas was banned for the same reason.
But Porter became the first NBA player banned due to a gambling aspect since the 1960s when commissioner Adam Silver handed down his punishment in April.
“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.”
What’s next for Porter?
Porter will have to face a trial soon. But he appears to be cooperating with authorities. His lawyer said Porter is being treated for a gambling addiction. Originally, prosecutors said he should serve 41 to 51 months in prison.
According to the New York Post, Porter will owe “an estimated $456,000 in fines and restitution.”
It’s also not the only case against him, as Canadian officials recently opened a criminal investigation into the former Raptor.
Additionally, the four men also involved have been arraigned on the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. To date, they have not entered into any plea deals.
Porter will likely become the poster child for basketball gambling scandal. After all, it’s been more than 50 years since the NBA banned a player for anything like this.
And it will also serve as a warning to other athletes.
