New twist develops in Jontay Porter sports betting scandal

Mar 11, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter (34) reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

A new twist has developed in the Jontay Porter sports betting scandal.

Porter in April was banned from the NBA for life after it was discovered he was betting on NBA games, including ones involving his Toronto Raptors. The former NBA player was found to have been tipping off bettors about his plans to leave Raptors games with fake issues in order for the bettors to win proposition bets involving his stat lines for those games. The bettors would wager that Porter’s stats for a game would be lower than his usual amount. Porter would then make up an illness and leave a game early to ensure a payout for the bettors.

Many have wondered why Porter would risk his status as a professional player in order to make a quick buck. Well apparently we have the reason: he was paying off a gambling debt.

The New York Post’s Kyle Schnitzer reported Tuesday that Porter had amassed big gambling debts in the beginning of the year and was encouraged to tank on his stats in a few games in order to pay off his debts.

The Post says that a 38-year-old man named Long Phi Pham (aka “Bruce”) was arrested while trying to fly out of JFK International Airport in New York to Australia on a one-way ticket. Pham was trying to leave the country a day after the government attempted to question him, according to The Post. They say Pham was arrested with $12,000 in cash, two cashier checks totaling $80,000, and several betting slips.

Pham faces up to 20 years in prison on wire fraud charges.

The 24-year-old Porter played 37 games during his NBA career prior to being banned.