The Toronto Raptors appear to officially be in rebuilding mode after trading away OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam earlier this season.
But while they may have hope for the future, one of their young players could be in some hot water.
Center Jontay Porter is out of action and is being investigated by the NBA because of “irregularities on prop betting involving him,” per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter is out of the lineup and a subject of an NBA investigation into irregularities on prop betting involving him, sources tell @DavidPurdum, @ESPNWindhorst and me. Story soon. pic.twitter.com/DncBNbDptW
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2024
Gambling has suddenly become a reason for concern across pro sports, especially after Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani saw himself embroiled in a gambling controversy involving his interpreter.
Of course, there is some history of pro athletes placing bets that had something to do with their performances, such as when former MLB star Pete Rose was banned from baseball after he placed bets on his Cincinnati Reds during the 1980s.
Porter declared for the NBA Draft after one season at the University of Missouri in 2018, only to change his mind weeks later, and later that year, he tore both his ACL and MCL.
He again tore his ACL in March 2019, yet the 6-foot-11, 240-pound big man declared for that year’s draft and went unselected.
He played 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2020-21 season, and this season, he returned to the NBA as a member of the Raptors.
In 26 games this year, Porter has averages of 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 13.8 minutes.
He is the younger brother of the Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr., who is a little more than one year older than him.
NEXT: Raptors Extend Veteran Center On 2-Year Deal