The topic of sports betting by professional athletes has been discussed heavily as of late due to the recent controversy in the MLB regarding Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter. And now, the NBA has its own gambling controversy on its hands regarding Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter.
ESPN first reported that the NBA has now launched an investigation into Porter after several instances of “betting irregularities” have emerged over the past few months.
In particular, these irregularities include Porter’s individual prop bets from games on January 26th and March 20th. Both nights, Porter left prematurely, leading to those betting on Porter’s under making huge profits.
DraftKings Sportsbook commented on the matter in a statement to ESPN, stating that the under-prop bets on both nights resulted in the most profitable bet of each night for bettors as a whole.
This obviously means that at least on the surface it looks like somehow bettors knew that Porter was going to be prematurely leaving these games.
Naturally, fans had plenty to say about this incredibly sketchy report, with many assuming that Porter’s NBA career is now very much in doubt.
This guy is faking injuries so his friends can cash his unders LMAO https://t.co/7TcNelKMnv pic.twitter.com/H5hwwuDsuH
— C (@SmittyNYK) March 25, 2024
at this point we’re just flying directly at the sun with afterburners on in all sports https://t.co/1EmJWwPLNH
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) March 25, 2024
I’m sure sportsbooks became suspicious the moment someone placed a bet on Jontay Porter. https://t.co/LRjsvjuzdR
— Joe Osborne (@JTFOz) March 25, 2024
This is just one of many betting scandals that will happen in the NBA.
Get ready. https://t.co/6TyZ1nly2U
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 25, 2024
It’s almost like a pattern is emerging https://t.co/y5lErDLwpm
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 25, 2024
No disrespect to Porter, but he isn’t exactly the biggest name in the NBA. And to hear that his props were the biggest win for bettors on two separate nights very clearly points to him intentionally leaving games and likely having someone he knows placing bets on his behalf.
It is of course too early to definitively assume his guilt in the matter. But with all the information that we currently know, things certainly look bad for Porter at the very least in this investigation.
[ESPN]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.