As the NBA investigates a player for possibly conspiring to influence game outcomes regarding in-game performance, league commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that such actions could result in a lifetime ban.
Toronto Raptors reserve Jontay Porter is accused of leaving two games to ensure “under” bets on his performance won. He has not played since the NBA launched its investigation in late March.
“I have a wide range of disciplines,” Silver said in New York at a meeting of the league’s owners. “It’s a cardinal sin that he’s accused of in the NBA. The last extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of authority I have here because there is nothing more serious. …
“I mean, it’s not new that there’s unsavory, even illegal, behavior around sports betting. I guess what I’m saying is that to the extent that it exists, if you have a regulated environment you’ll have a better chance of detecting it than if all bets were placed illegally.
A March 25 report from ESPN indicated that the league was investigating suspicious betting patterns involving Porter.
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The most bet on DraftKings prop on Jan. 26 was Porter making less than 0.5 3-pointers in the Raptors’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Porter, a little-used substitute, played four scoreless minutes before exiting with what was reported as an eye injury.
Under bets on Porter were again heavily favored by DraftKings players on March 20, when he played three scoreless minutes against the Sacramento Kings before exiting with what the Raptors called an illness.
Porter, 24, is averaging 4.4 points in 26 games (five starts) for Toronto this season. He began his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2020-21, then did not appear in the league the following two seasons.
