During an interview with The New Yorker, Jontay Porter estimated he wagered $500 million before the NBA permanently banned him for illegal sports betting.
Porter said earlier this year that being exiled from basketball in 2024 was the “best thing that could’ve happened to him.”
- Porter said he began gambling after he was cut from the G-League in 2021.
- While out of the league, he won more than $1 million betting on Russian ping-pong.
- Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2024.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made the decision to indefinitely suspend Porter after it was confirmed that he manipulated his performances for the benefit of known gamblers.
But Porter fixing the outcomes of his games was only a small part of his gambling activity.
According to comments he made during the interview with The New Yorker, Porter began gambling in 2021, right after he got cut by the Memphis Grizzlies’ G-League affiliate, the Hustle. His first big bet was a $125,000 wager on the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season, which he lost. He supplemented that with over 140 additional bets worth more than $1 million.
In an effort to win back money he lost, he turned to playing mobile blackjack during a trip to his family’s house. But instead of making up the money, he accumulated another $200,000 in losses.
Porter eventually bet over $50 million at FanDuel in 18 months. He even took out a $500,000 loan for his house, only to use that money to place six-figure bets on Russian ping-pong.
He won over $1 million to pay back the loan, but continued gambling and eventually sold the house.
“It's exhilarating because, in your mind, your whole life rides on how good a serve this Ping-Pong guy has,” he said. “It drives you insane, quite literally. Eyes bloodshot. Staring at the screen. I think you're addicted to the thrill of the in-between, when you don't know if it's going to win or lose.”
Porter 'in a better place'
In 2022, Jontay married his wife, Kelli, who was unaware of his gambling addiction. He would send himself money from her Venmo account to gamble, with hopes of paying her back before she awoke in the morning. He also used her credit cards and reported the transactions as fraudulent, and eventually took thousands from his mother’s account on Thanksgiving Day.
The Porter family eventually became privy to Jontay’s addiction and sent him to a 30-day treatment center in Florida. He returned to the NBA thereafter, only to get caught up in the ring that led to his banishment from the league.
“(The last time I manipulated my performance) was the last day I ever gambled,” Porter said in an interview on the YouTube Page @HeyHenryTV in July. “It’s been a tough journey, but it’s been a restorative journey.”
Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July 2024. Although the plea was submitted more than two years ago, his sentencing was repeatedly delayed. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said in February that he was expected to spend three to four years behind bars.
Porter made just over $2.8 million in contract payments during his career in the NBA and the G-League. His last game was on March 22, 2024.
“I’m in a much better place than I would be if I had never gotten caught,” Porter said to HeyHenryTV this summer.
