Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. refuses to believe his younger brother Jontay would jeopardize his NBA career by getting mixed up in suspicious gambling activity.
The league announced Monday it has opened an investigation into the younger Porter, a Toronto two-way player, amid gambling allegations.
ESPN first reported the probe, which it said surrounded Porter’s performance in games January 26 and March 20. In both games, Porter played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness. In both of those games, Porter did not come close to hitting the prop-wager lines for points, rebounds and 3-pointers that bettors could play.
Michael Porter Jr. took the podium following the Nuggets’ loss to the Suns Wednesday night and was asked about the probe involving his brother.
Michael Porter Jr. said he has no more details than the media does but he vouched for his brother, who at 24 is a year younger than him, saying ‘Jontay loves the game of basketball’ and has been thrilled to play for Toronto this season.
Jontay Porter (right) is the younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. (left)
‘I’ve known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is and I know he’s excited to play basketball and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy,’ Michael Porter Jr. insisted.
Jontay Porter hasn’t publicly addressed the situation and he has missed the last couple of the Raptors’ games with the team citing personal reasons.
The younger 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 J.B. Bickerstaff revealed he received threats from gamblers last season and reported it to the NBA. Bickerstaff was asked the question after All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers indicated days earlier that he’s grown tired of regularly hearing criticism from people on social media about their prop bets.
Jontay Porter (pictured) is the NBA player at the center of the league’s gambling probe
Michael Porter Jr. offered a similar appraisal 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 score tonight or what they don’t want you to score,’ Michael Porter Jr. said. ‘Every night you’re disappointing someone. You’re disappointing people if you score too much because they may have bet on the under, and you’re disappointing people if you didn’t score enough.
‘So, it’s a part of the game now. I think that it’s obviously a dangerous habit. It’s a dangerous vice for people,’ Michael Porter Jr. added. ‘You know, the love of money is the root of all evil. So, I think that even though it is a thing, we as players just have to accept that. We get paid a lot of money to play this game and I know these people, these fans, they want to make some money, as well. …
‘It’s definitely something that has kind of taken over the sporting world — I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.’
Jontay Porter, who was held out of Sunday’s game for personal reasons, has not been suspended by the NBA, nor has he been charged with any crime. But as seen in several resurfaced social media posts, the 23-year-old apparently has a long-held interest in sports gambling.
‘Shoutout spazzin for the EZ parley (sic),’ read a post from an X account, ostensibly belonging to Porter, after successfully predicting a three-team college basketball parlay in March of 2022.
Porter was quick to take credit when others made successful wagers on an NCAA parlay
While it doesn’t represent a potential violation (Porter wasn’t on an NBA roster at the time and the games in question were collegiate), the social media post is one of several raising questions amid the league’s investigation into his gambling history.
Porter’s agent did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The younger brother of Denver Nuggets star and NBA champion Michael Porter Jr., Jontay is on the fringe of the NBA.
He’s currently on a two-way contract with the Raptors, which allows him to be shuffled between the NBA club and its G League affiliate in Mississauga, Ontario. And unlike his older brother, who has nearly $80 million in career earnings, Jontay has made less than $3 million during his brief career.
But while he doesn’t have his brother’s riches, the younger Porter does have a keen interest in the stock market, which seemingly prompted him to create an X account with the handle @TayTrades11.
Porter’s agent has not responded to DailyMail.com’s request for confirmation of the account, but in May of 2022, the player did make a reference to the @TayTrades11 page using his primary X handle, @JontayPorter.
‘My real trading account is @TayTrades11,’ he wrote in May of 2022.
An account ostensibly belonging to Porter (@TayTrades11) suggested he start a betting service
An X user known as @NomadTrader8 won a Suns-Pelicans bet before thanking Porter in 2022
Porter’s @TayTrades11 account was included in this post, which the player then ‘liked’ online
As first reported by DailyHive.com, someone using that handle has been credited with sharing successful sports betting advice by other users.
‘For anyone who likes to make a wager or two on sports,’ read a 2022 post by @NomadTrader8. ‘Did any of y’all catch this play yesterday?
The post included a screenshot of various betting lines for the Memphis Grizzlies – a team that had released Porter only 10 months earlier.
Porter’s @TayTrades11 account was included at the end of @NomadTrader8’s post, which the player then ‘liked’ online.
The account holder for @NomadTrader8 has not responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
And that’s not the only exchange between @TayTrades11 and @NomadTrader8.
A day later, @NomadTrader8 referenced @TayTrades11 in another post.
‘@TayTrades11 stone cold lock of the day last night – Suns/Over (easy$),’ the post began. ‘Thanks @TayTrades11! Wish you had a sports betting service…’
The post ended with a ‘thinking’ emoji.
Porter’s @TayTrades11 account also regularly likes other sports gambling posts, such as this
The @TayTrades11 account not only ‘liked’ the @NomadTrader8 account, but several other sports betting posts, most of which involved college basketball or the NFL.
The ongoing investigation could represent the NBA’s biggest sports gambling scandal since the Tim Donaghy saga, when the long-time official ultimately pleaded guilty to wagering on games he was officiating. Donaghy ultimately served a year in prison.
Specifically, two of Porter’s recent games are under the league’s microscope.
Following the March 20 game, DraftKings reported that prop bets on Porter – wagers on whether or not he’d reach specific statistical benchmarks – were the top moneymaker in the NBA for that night.
Furthermore, ESPN is reporting that at least one other sportsbook found irregular activity on January 26, including several five-figure wagers on the ‘under’ – bets that paid off heavily after Porter made an early exit due to an eye injury.
Suspicious wagers ranged from $10,000 to $20,000, according to ESPN.