Booted out of NBA, former player Jontay Porter due in court in betting case
NEW YORK — Former NBA player Jontay Porter is due in court on Wednesday to answer to a federal criminal case related to the betting scandal which led to him being banned from the competition earlier this year.
Court records show an arraignment and a plea agreement hearing are scheduled for the former Toronto Raptors center. Prosecutors have not specified the charge or charges, other than in a brief court document that it is a misdemeanor.
Porter’s attorney has not responded to messages seeking comment since the court papers were filed last week. The attorney has previously said that Porter was cooperating with authorities while being treated for a gambling addiction.
Last week’s skeletal court filing revealed that the case against Porter is related to a ongoing prosecution of four other menThe four have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, but have not yet entered a plea.
The men are accused of fudging tips from an NBA player that he would leave two games early, and then using that knowledge or their family members to place large bets that the athlete would perform poorly in those games, according to a court complaint filed when they were charged in June.
The complaint did not name the player. But it said he had spoken to investigators in hopes of a plea agreement and reduced sentence “in the event he is criminally charged.”
According to the complaint, one of the four men pressured the player to pay off his gambling debts by withdrawing from games early so that bets on his underperformance would be paid off.
In a message responding to the man’s instructions, the player wrote that if he didn’t carry out the plan, “you hate me and if I don’t get you 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”
After tipping off several men, the player claimed he was injured or ill and withdrew from the Jan. 26 and March 20 games after appearing on the field for only a few minutes, the complaint said.
Porter played only briefly on those dates before complaining of injury or illness and leaving the games. His points, rebounds and assists in both games fell short of bookmakers’ expectations.
After the NBA and others began investigating, the player texted several men saying they “might get hit by Wa Rico,” an apparent reference to the common abbreviation for a federal racketeering charge, according to the complaint against them. The player also asked the men if they had “deleted everything” from their phones.
The NBA investigation found that Porter not only left at least one game for gamblers, but also bet on NBA games he wasn’t playing in, including once betting against his own team, the league said.
Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games this season, including five as a starter. He also played in 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2020-21 season.
The 24-year-old’s NBA salary was approximately $410,000.