NBA player Jontay Porter pleads guilty

Garance Limouzy July 11, 2024

This Wednesday, July 10th, former NBA player Jontay Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Porter paid a $250,000 bond and was released. His sentencing is scheduled for December 18.

Last April, the famous basketball player was banned for life from playing for the Toronto Raptors or any other team. He was found to be involved in a sports gambling scandal, sharing inside information with sports bettors and engaging in match-fixing. An NBA-led investigation also revealed that the Toronto Raptors centre was betting on league games. Although none of the games involved in the bets were ones in which Porter played, he bet against his own team, certainly benefiting from inside information, such as knowing whether the other team members were feeling well or not.

The league explained that Porter privately informed a sports bettor that he was suffering from an injury. He also removed himself from a game only three minutes after it started, claiming he was ill. On several other occasions, according to messages revealed by the investigation, Porter claimed to be ill or injured for some games as an excuse for his absence.

$1.1 million win

Sharing this information and manipulating game outcomes led a associated sports bettor to place an $80,000 bet and pocket $1.1 million. He wagered that Porter would underperform during a game between the Toronto Raptors and the Kings. However, the investigation halted the illegal enterprise before Porter and his accomplices could start pocketing their big wins. Jontay Porter is being prosecuted along with four other men. Federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud can result in a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, but Porter is more likely to face a 41 to 51-month prison sentence.

Gambling addiction

“I know what I did was wrong, it’s illegal, and I’m deeply sorry,” declared Jontay Porter to the court. He also explained that the bad decisions that cost him his career were rooted in a gambling addiction that left him with huge debts. He was the first player to be banned for gambling-related activities in 70 years. However, in 2016, O.J. Mayo was suspended for drug use, and in 2014, Donald Sterling, then owner of the Clippers, was forced to sell the team for making racist comments.