Former NBA player Jontay Porter will appear in court to be sentenced on Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York as he faces criminal charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Videos by FanBuzz
Based on his involvement in violating the NBA's gambling policy, he was banned for life from the league and will now likely receive a 3-4 year prison sentence.
BREAKING: Jontay Porter is set to be sentenced tomorrow on criminal charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, per @cbcsports.
Porter is expected to receive at least a 3-4 year sentencing. (h/t @esidery) pic.twitter.com/FbG0sd89JW
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 17, 2024
Back on July 10, Porter pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after admitting to competitive manipulation during two NBA games, as he seemingly bet on his own team to lose.
While playing on January 26 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers (107-127 loss) and March 20 vs. the Sacramento Kings (89-123 loss), Porter purposefully went"under" on his own player props (points, rebounds, assists... etc).
That is to say, he evidently faked an injury or illness in both of these games, so he could take himself out. To note, he scored 0 points and played less than five minutes in each game.
Peter Czegledy, who is a partner for a Toronto law firm, spoke on Porter's case of violating the NBA's gaming rules.
"This is a young man who has managed to achieve an incredibly difficult task, to play professionally with the best in the world in his chosen sport. However, that is now an empty achievement," Czegledy said. "Apart from the criminal proceedings, the NBA has banned him for life, the most severe penalty possible, and one meted out very rarely..."
"He is the first active player or coach to be expelled from the NBA for gambling since Jack Molinas in 1954. Now he likely will face prison time as well."
In view of the only other player to be banned by the NBA for the same gambling violation was Fort Wayne Pistons forward Jack Molinas, who was drafted in 1953 out of Columbia University. However, the only difference is that Molinas bet on his team to win.
The maximum prison sentence for wire fraud is 20 years, but Porter is expected to serve 40-50 months.
Jontay Porter really went from
This…. To This… pic.twitter.com/TseC49YEs8— MJ 🖤 (@MJTheGamer_) December 18, 2024
Ultimately, this is a sad case as Porter had potential to have a sustainable NBA career, but he seemingly threw it all away for an estimated profit of just over $20,000 in bets.
The NBA's investigation found that Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors placed 13 bets:
• Smallest Bet: $15
• Largest Bet: $22,000
• Net Winnings: $21,965Porter never bet on games he played but he did bet on the Raptors to lose.
The NBA has banned him for life. pic.twitter.com/WRJfDZZ3I0
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) April 17, 2024
Porter's older brother Michael Porter Jr., is Denver Nuggets star, and they actually played vs. one another on March 11 (Nuggets won 125-119), and Jontay put up a career-high 14 points (4-for-7 from deep).
Jontay Porter swapping jerseys with his brother after scoring a career-high.
Jontay: 14 PTS, 5 AST, 4 3PT
MPJ: 19 PTS, 8 REB, 2 3PT pic.twitter.com/S1htKzuqdy— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 12, 2024
Related: Former Raptors Player Jontay Porter Charged With Felony In NBA Betting Scandal
