NBA issues lifetime ban to former Mizzou hoops player Jontay Porter for gambling

The NBA on Wednesday announced that former Missouri Tigers men’s basketball player Jontay Porter has been banned from the league for life for violating the league’s gambling rules.

Porter played one season for the Tigers (2017-18) and was on the SEC’s all-freshman team. He has played in just 37 career NBA games with the Memphis Grizzlies (2020-21) and Toronto Raptors (this season).

“A league investigation,” the NBA wrote in a news release, “found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”

Porter is accused by the NBA of disclosing information about his health status to a person Porter knew was an NBA bettor before the Raptors’ game on March 20 against the Sacramento Kings.

A second individual associated with Porter also bet that Porter would underperform on March 20 as part of an $80,000 parlay proposition bet placed with an online sports book.

Porter played just 3 minutes in that game and missed the only shot he took as the Raptors lost 123-89. The NBA said Porter claimed he was sick. That prop bet was frozen and not paid out, the league noted.

The NBA also accused Porter of placing at least 13 bets on the Raptors earlier this year “using an associate’s betting account.”

“Those bets ranged in size from $15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094,” the NBA said in the news release. “The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in winnings of $21,965. None of the bets involved any game in which Porter played. Three of the games were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet the Raptors would lose. All three bets lost.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said legal sports betting helps identify suspicious activities — like those the league claims took place with Porter.

“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for 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,” Silver said in the news release.