Jontay Porter, the former Toronto Raptors big man who was banned by the NBA for gambling on his team’s games and pled to guilty to a connected federal charge, is hoping to play professional basketball again, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic:
“A lawyer for Porter is asking the federal judge overseeing his case to allow Porter to play professionally this upcoming season in Greece for Promitheas B.C. in the country’s top league. Porter’s lawyer made the request in a letter to Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall on Tuesday. The letter says that the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which charged Porter last month, and the United States Pretrial Services Officer are not opposed to Porter’s request.”
Porter pled guilty last week in Brooklyn federal court to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His case is related to the betting scandal that got him banned from the NBA in April and led to federal charges for four other men last month.
He was released on a $250,000 bond after his guilty plea and was required to forfeit his passport. He is set to be sentenced Dec. 18 and could face from just under three and a half years in prison to a little over four years. He’s also likely to be assessed hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution, plus potential fines.
But Porter is hoping to play professional basketball again and has asked the federal judge to let him travel to Petras, Greece, where he intends to live in team-approved housing with his wife and the son they are expecting.
Jontay Porter also facing issues in Canada?
Canadian authorities recently opened a criminal investigation into Porter's NBA betting scandal. After finishing an assessment of available information for “online betting irregularities from Jan. 26 and March 20 Raptors games,” the Investigation and Enforcement Bureau determined a criminal investigation was called for.
On the night of Toronto's Jan. 26th matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, there was increased interest on the under for Porter's props.
His marks were set at 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He was also subject to a 0.5 over/under for his made 3-pointers. Porter only played four minutes that night before leaving from what the Raptors referred to as a reaggravated eye injury he had suffered in a Memphis Grizzlies matchup four days prior.
Porter did not score in the Clippers game and had three rebounds and one assist. Moreover, he did not attempt a three-pointer. Thus, the under hit on all of his props.
The next day, DraftKings Sportsbook reported that the under on Porter's 3-pointers was the biggest money-winner for bettors of any NBA props from games that previous evening. Porter then played 19 minutes and scored 12 points in addition to seven rebounds and three assists two days later.
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