Michael Porter Jr. recently spoke candidly about the dangers of sports betting in professional athletics, sharing personal insights following his brother Jontay's lifetime ban from the NBA. The "Brooklyn Nets" forward addressed the growing issue during an appearance on the One Night With Steiny podcast, highlighting how gambling creates problematic situations for players.
"The whole sports gambling thing is only going to get worse, and we really do get death threats," Porter explained. "You can't win anymore because if I do too good I'm messing with people who bet on the under, and if they bet on my over... so you're always messing up some people's money."
The 2023 NBA champion with the "Denver Nuggets" didn't shy away from describing the intense temptations athletes face. He outlined a scenario where players might consider deliberately underperforming to help friends profit from betting markets – eerily similar to what led to his brother's permanent expulsion from the league.
Porter painted a stark picture of the moral dilemmas facing athletes. "Think about if you can get all your homies rich by telling them, 'Yo, bet $10,000 on my under this one game, I'm gonna act like I got an injury. I'm gonna come out after three minutes,'" he said.
Interestingly, this almost perfectly describes what happened with Jontay Porter. The younger Porter, while playing as a two-way player for the "Toronto Raptors," deliberately limited his participation in two games, exiting early with undisclosed ailments to help bettors cash in on under bets for his player props.
The NBA dropped the hammer on Jontay in April 2024, making him the first player in the modern era to receive a lifetime ban for gambling violations.
By the way, Michael also touched on the ongoing investigations involving Malik Beasley and Terry Rozier. Beasley, currently a free agent, lost a potential three-year, $42 million extension with the "Detroit Pistons" after news broke of an investigation by the U.S. District Attorney's office regarding alleged gambling involvement.
Rozier's situation appears equally concerning. A professional gambler reportedly placed 30 bets worth over $13,500 on Rozier's props and won every single one – walking away with more than $13,000 in profits.
Neither player has been charged with wrongdoing yet, but their cases remain open. Will the NBA need to implement stronger measures to combat the growing influence of betting on the game?
