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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Toronto Raptors Jontay Porter has found himself in the news for all the wrong reasons. As per ESPN, the NBA is investigating big man Jontay Porter on account of suspicious prop betting activity over two of his games on January 26th and March 20th, 2024. An NBA spokesperson confirmed the investigation to ESPN but did not provide further details.

However, adding a twist to the story, an audio clip has been making rounds from a 2021 podcast, where Porter mentions trading as his “side gig.” In the clip, Porter states, “Once I traded 5K for 100K…I took out most of that and traded it…Got that up to 50,000 recently and 200,000 in a few days. I forget what trade, I think that was on Tesla and a few other trades that were wild…I’m obviously not doing this as my main source of income. This is more of a side gig…it’s like my fun money. When I do get, I withdraw it and put it either in savings or bless myself with something.”

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Raptors forward Jontay Porter has been an irregular presence this season, appearing in 26 games with just 5 starts. He’s averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in his limited playing time. But the forward’s immediate return remains unclear.

More Than Meets the Eye, Porter’s Betting Controversy

Porter’s recent outings have raised some eyebrows. Two games in particular stand out, the January 26th matchup against the Clippers and the March 20th game against the Sacramento Kings. In both games, doubtful situations in regards with bets tied to Porter’s performance caught eyes.

On January 26th, gamblers suddenly were in a frenzy for the “under” on all of Porter’s prop bets. These bets predict whether a player will exceed or fall short of a specific target. In Porter’s case, the bets were for points (under 5.5), rebounds (under 4.5), assists (under 1.5), and even made three-pointers (under 0.5). Porter only played 4 minutes before exiting the game with an eye injury. He happened to be coinciding with all the under hitting. DraftKings later revealed that Porter’s under made on three-pointers was the biggest moneymaker for any NBA player prop that night.

A similar situation repeated on March 20th. Playing the Kings, Porter exits after a measly 3 minutes citing illness. This time, the prop bets were set around 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Porter didn’t score, missed his only shot, and grabbed just two boards. Once again, the unders were the most profitable NBA player prop bets that night, according to DraftKings.

Following suspicious patterns of irregularities, the NBA is now investigating the situation.

Read More: What Is Prop Betting? NBA’s Investigation On Jontay Porter Has Fans Concerned For MPJ’s Younger Brother

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