NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated on Wednesday that Toronto’s Jontay Porter could be kicked out of the league if the accusations about his gambling involvement are proven true.
Silver, speaking after a two-day meeting of the league’s Board of Governors, did not provide details about the ongoing investigation concerning Porter. Porter has not played since the league started looking into betting patterns related to his performance on the court.
“I have a wide range of options for discipline,” Silver said. “What he’s accused of in the NBA is very serious. The most severe action I can take is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of power I have because this is a very serious matter.”
According to ESPN, the investigation focuses on Porter’s performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. In both games, Porter played briefly before leaving due to injury or illness.
His performance did not match the betting lines set by sportsbooks for his points and rebounds in those contests.
This suggests that those who bet against Porter would have won, as he didn’t meet the expectations set by sportsbooks. Some sportsbooks noticed unusual betting patterns related to Porter’s performance, indicating that the league, which has ties with several betting companies, may have also received similar information.
“This is not new that there’s bad behavior, even illegal behavior, around sports betting,” Silver said. “If you have rules in place, you’re more likely to catch it than if everything is done illegally.”
Porter has been marked as unavailable for the 10th game in a row on Wednesday as the Raptors play against the Nets in Brooklyn. The Raptors wrap up the season with games in Miami on Friday and Sunday. Porter’s absence began around the same time the NBA started looking into the betting patterns linked to his games.
