Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr opened up on his brother Jontay’s gambling scandal that led to a lifetime ban from the NBA.
Jontay was banned from the league after an investigation revealed he had disclosed confidential information to bettors, limited his participation in at least one game and bet on NBA games while playing in the G League.
Porter Jr, who was recently traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Nets at the end of June, spoke about the situation on his YouTube channel.
“Everybody has different things that they struggle with. That can go from people who struggle with alcohol to people who struggle with drugs. My brother, for example, struggled with gambling.
“My brother Jontay struggled with gambling. I never struggled with gambling, and maybe that’s why God blessed me with money, because he knew I could handle it.
“Jontay, on the other hand, wasn’t blessed with a lot of money because maybe God knew he couldn’t handle that temptation.”
WATCH: Michael Porter Jr On Brother Jontay’s Gambling Struggles
Brooklyn Nets Michael Porter Jr. opened up about his personal struggles:
“Everybody has different vices. Everybody has different things that they struggle with. That can go with people who struggle from alcohol, people that struggle with drugs. You know, for example, my brother… pic.twitter.com/tmIH1mhZH5
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) August 11, 2025
Jontay Porter Gambling Scandal Explained
The NBA launched an enquiry into Porter in March 2024 after sports betting apps noticed irregular activity on the over/under on his statistics in two games when he was with the Toronto Raptors.
In both outings, Porter exited after playing only a few minutes. The enquiry discovered that he revealed information about his own health to a known sports bettor before a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings.
Another bettor with knowledge of the information placed an $80,000 same-game parlay bet that featured unders on Porter’s statistics to win $1.1 million. Porter played three minutes before departing the court with an illness.
The bet, placed with popular online casino DraftKings, was not paid out. Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account, recording net winnings of over $20,000 – none of which involved any that Porter had played in.
Ahead of a January 26 game against the Los Angeles Clippers, offshore sportsbooks reported a spike in betting interest on the under of several of Porter’s statistics. He played just four minutes before leaving the game with issues related to an eye injury and the unders successfully hit.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
