Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said Wednesday night that he was sure his younger brother Jontay would never do anything that could jeopardize his budding NBA career.
Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter is under investigation by the NBA following several betting irregularities in recent months, sources told ESPN earlier this week. According to sources, these are prop bets involving Porter from games on January 26th and March 20th. An NBA spokesman told ESPN that the league is “reviewing the matter.”
Michael Porter Jr. stood at the podium after the Nuggets' home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night and was asked about his brother's physical.
Michael Porter Jr. said he didn't have more details than the media, but he vouched for his brother, who at 24 is a year his junior, saying “Jontay loves the game of basketball” and was excited to play for Toronto a two-way contract this season.
“I have known my brother my whole life. I know what kind of guy he is and I know he's excited to play basketball and I highly doubt he would do anything to jeopardize that,” Michael Porter Jr. said.
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Jontay Porter has not publicly addressed the situation and he has missed the Raptors' last few games, with the team citing personal reasons.
The younger Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games, including five starts. The 1.90 meter tall Porter also played eleven games for Memphis in the 2020/21 season.
NBA players and all league employees are prohibited from betting on NBA events, including prop betting. Violations of the policy may include, but are not limited to, fines, suspensions, and possible contract terminations.
Michael Porter Jr. said he and others regularly hear how their performance on the course affects bettors.
“Yeah, especially in the last few years, you hear people in the audience saying what you need to score tonight or what you don't want you to score,” he said. “Every night you disappoint someone. You disappoint people when you score too much because they might have bet on the under, and you disappoint people when you don’t score enough.”
“So, it’s part of the game now. I think it's obviously a dangerous habit. It is a dangerous vice for people,” he added. “You know, the love of money is the root of all evil. So I think even though it's one thing, we as players just have to accept it. We get paid a lot of money to play this game and I know it. These people, these fans want to make some money too.
“It’s definitely something that has kind of taken over the sports world – I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
