Adam Silver warns about Jontay Porter getting banned from NBA permanently

Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner responded to the betting scandal involving Toronto Raptors Jontay Porter. Porter was allegedly betting on games he was playing, with unusual betting patterns on his orders. Adam Silver referred to Porter's actions as a cardinal sin and disclosed that he has the authority to suspend him from the NBA for the rest of his career.

Adam Silver while speaking after a two-day meeting of the League’s Board of Governors, did not reveal any specifics about the investigation surrounding Porter, other than saying the probe is ongoing. Porter hasn't played since the League said it was investigating betting trends around his on-court performance.

According to AP News, Adam Silver stated, “I have an enormous range of discipline available to me. It’s cardinal sin what he’s accused of in the NBA. The ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of authority I have here because there’s nothing more serious.”

ESPN first looked into the investigation

ESPN were the first ones to report the investigation, which it said surrounded Porter’s performance in games on Jan 26 and March 20. Porter played briefly in both of those games before leaving due to injury or sickness, and he fell far short of the figures provided to gamblers as prop wagers in those games. That implies those who gambled against Porter would have won since he departed both games before reaching the sportsbook points and rebounds lines.

While in some sportsbooks they were alerted about the odd betting patterns around Porter prop offerings in the games. As a result, the League, which has commercial links with several betting companies, is likely to have gotten some of the same information.