Less than a week after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Jontay Porter asked a federal judge if he could move to Greece to continue playing basketball.
Porter’s NBA career ended April 17 when he was issued a lifetime ban for gambling on the sport. That punishment stemmed from a scheme that led to his federal charges.
A court filing from Tuesday says attorneys asked to modify Porter’s release so he could play for Promitheas BC in Greece.
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Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors during a game against the Boston Celtics Jan. 15, 2024, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images)
In court last week, Porter said he agreed to withdraw early from games to get out from under large gambling debts so he and co-conspirators could win bets on his performance.
Porter received a lifetime ban April 17 after the NBA found in an investigation he had disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games in violation of league rules. The NBA prohibits players from betting on the league or any of its properties.
The league said an investigation discovered before “the [Toronto] Raptors’ March 20 game, [Jontay] disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor.
“Another individual with whom Porter associated and known to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports book, to win $1.1 million, wagering [Porter] would underperform in the March 20 game.”
Jontay Porter (34) of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket during a game against the Detroit Pistons March 13, 2024, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. (Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
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He only played three minutes in the March 20 game, claiming to have been sick. The $80,000 prop bet was frozen and not paid out.
The NBA said it found that, from January to March, while Jontay was either with the Raptors or its G League team, Raptors 905, he placed “at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s betting account.”
Porter’s lawyer, Jeff Jensen, said last month Porter had been “in over his head due to a gambling addiction” but was getting treatment and cooperating with law enforcement.
Porter also gambled on NBA games in which he didn’t play, once betting against his own team, the league said.
According to a complaint, Porter was pressured to clear up gambling debts by pulling out of games so that bets on him underperforming would pay off.
Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center March 9, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
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Since the scandal, the NBA has reportedly held meetings about how to combat another scandal, including nixing “under” proposition bets from sportsbooks.
Porter’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18. He’ll also likely to be ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution, plus potential fines.
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