Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. refuses to believe his younger brother Jontay would jeopardize his NBA career by becoming involved in suspicious gambling activity.
The league announced Monday that it has opened an investigation into the younger Porter, a Toronto two-way player, amid gambling allegations.
ESPN first reported investigation, which he said surrounded Porter’s performance in the Jan. 26 and March 20 games. In both games, Porter played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness. In both games, Porter didn’t come close to hitting the betting lines of points, rebounds and 3-pointers that bettors could make.
Michael Porter Jr. took the podium following the Nuggets’ loss to the Suns on Wednesday night and was asked about the investigation involving his brother.
Michael Porter Jr. said he has no more details than the media, but vouched for his brother, who at 24 is a year younger than him, saying “Jontay loves basketball” and is thrilled to play for Toronto this year. season. .
Jontay Porter (right) is the younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. (left)
‘I’ve known my brother all my life. “I know what kind of person he is and I know he’s excited about playing basketball and I highly doubt he’ll do anything to jeopardize that,” Michael Porter Jr. insisted.
Jontay Porter has not publicly addressed the situation and has missed the Raptors’ recent games with the team citing personal reasons.
The young Porter is averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games, including five starts. The 6-foot-10 Porter also played in 11 games for Memphis in the 2020-21 season.
The NBA has had business relationships with gaming companies for years and lists FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings as official gaming partners. The league also has relationships with at least 24 other gaming operators.
Last week, Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff revealed that he received threats from players last season and reported it to the NBA. Bickerstaff was asked the question after Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton indicated days earlier that he had grown tired of hearing regular criticism from people on social media about his prop bets.
Jontay Porter (pictured) is the NBA player at the center of the league’s betting investigation.
Michael Porter Jr. offered a similar assessment Wednesday night, saying he and others regularly hear how their on-court performance affects bettors.
“Yeah, especially the last few years you hear people in the crowd saying what they need you to write down tonight or what they don’t want you to write down,” said Michael Porter Jr. ‘Every night you’re letting someone down. You’re letting people down if you score too much because they may have bet less, and you’re letting people down if you didn’t score enough.
‘So, now it’s part of the game. I think it’s obviously a dangerous habit. It’s a dangerous vice for people,” added Michael Porter Jr. ‘You know, the love of money is the root of all evil. So, I think even though it exists, we as players have to accept it. They pay us a lot of money for playing this game and I know these people, these fans, they want to win some money too. …
“It’s definitely something that has taken over the sports world; I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
Jontay Porter, who was excluded from Sunday’s game for personal reasons, has not been suspended by the NBA nor has he been charged with a crime. But as seen in several resurfaced social media posts, the 23-year-old apparently has a long-standing interest in sports betting.
‘Shout out to the EZ (sic) parlay,’ read a post from an X account, apparently belonging to Porter, after successfully predicting a three-team college basketball parlay in March 2022.
Porter was quick to take credit when others placed successful bets on an NCAA parlay.
While it does not represent a possible violation (Porter was not on the NBA roster at the time and the games in question were collegiate), the social media post is one of several questions arising amid the league’s investigation. about his playing history.
Porter’s agent did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Jontay, younger brother of Denver Nuggets star and NBA champion Michael Porter Jr., is on the fringes of the NBA.
He is currently on a two-way contract with the Raptors, allowing him to alternate between the NBA club and their G League affiliate in Mississauga, Ontario. And unlike his older brother, who has nearly $80 million in career earnings, Jontay has earned less than $3 million during his brief career.
But while he doesn’t have the riches of his brother, the younger Porter does have a keen interest in the stock market, which apparently prompted him to create an X account with the handle @TayTrades11.
Porter’s agent did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for account confirmation, but in May 2022, the player made a reference to the page @TayTrades11 using his primary X handle, @JontayPorter.
“My real trading account is @TayTrades11,” he wrote in May 2022.
An account apparently belonging to Porter (@TayTrades11) suggested he start a betting service.
An X user known as @NomadTrader8 won a Suns-Pelicans bet before thanking Porter in 2022
Porter’s @TayTrades11 account was included in this post, which was then liked online by the player.
As first reported by DailyHive.com, someone using that handle is credited with sharing successful sports betting tips from other users.
“For anyone who likes to place a bet or two on sports,” reads a 2022 post by @NomadTrader8. ‘Did any of you see this play yesterday?
The post included a screenshot of several betting lines for the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that had released Porter just 10 months earlier.
Porter’s @TayTrades11 account was included at the end of @NomadTrader8’s post, which the player then liked online.
The account holder of @NomadTrader8 has not responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
And that’s not the only exchange between @TayTrades11 and @NomadTrader8.
A day later, @NomadTrader8 referenced @TayTrades11 in another post.
‘@TayTrades11 cold lock of the day last night – Suns/Over (easy$)’, the post began. ‘Thank you @TayTrades11! I wish you had a sports betting service…’
The post ended with a ‘thinking’ emoji.
Porter’s @TayTrades11 account also regularly likes other sports betting posts, like this one.
The @TayTrades11 account not only liked the @NomadTrader8 account, but also several other sports betting posts, most of which involved college basketball or the NFL.
The ongoing investigation could represent the biggest NBA sports betting scandal since the Tim Donaghy saga, when the veteran official finally pleaded guilty to betting on games he was officiating. Donaghy eventually served a year in prison.
Specifically, two of Porter’s recent games are under the league’s microscope.
After the March 20 game, DraftKings reported that prop bets on Porter (bets on whether or not he would meet specific statistical benchmarks) were the top moneymakers in the NBA that night.
Additionally, ESPN reports that at least one other sportsbook encountered irregular activity on January 26, including several five-figure bets on the under, bets that paid off big after Porter exited early due to an eye injury.
The suspicious bets ranged from $10,000 to $20,000, according to ESPN.