The lifetime banishment of former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter from the NBA for betting on league games and providing insider information to other bettors is allegedly rooted in an illegal gambling operation, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the East District of New York, alleges that Porter “amassed significant gambling debts” to Long Phi Pham, who encouraged Porter to alleviate his debt by withdrawing from certain NBA games. Pham allegedly placed bets on the “under” prop markets for Porter on Jan. 26 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Porter notified Pham of his intention to exit the game early after claiming he was injured. As a result of Porter’s exit on Jan. 26, Pham and co-conspirators won more than $100,000.
Multiple instances of alleged fraud
An FBI special agent assigned to investigate the matter also found evidence of Pham and his co-conspirators allegedly wagering on a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings. The group allegedly placed online and retail wagers at an Atlantic City casino after Porter notified them of his intention to remove himself from the game early due to an illness. Surveillance footage from the casino showed Pham and others betting more than $100,000 with cash and funds in online sportsbook accounts. Porter would leave the March 20 contest early leading to Pham and his co-conspirators winning over $1 million.
The wagers placed with the online sportsbooks were flagged for suspicious activity. The sportsbooks would report the suspicious bets to the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and the NBA. The IBIA would then report the findings to the FBI.
“Whether on the court or in the casino, every point matters,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in a statement. “As alleged, the defendant and his co-conspirators, as well as an NBA player, participated in a brazen, illegal betting scheme that had a corrupting influence on two games and numerous bets.”
Pham was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on June 3 and has been charged with conspiring with others to defraud a sports betting company after attempting to travel to Australia with a one-way plane ticket. The identities of Pham’s co-conspirators were redacted from the complaint while Porter has yet to be charged in the case.
Jontay Porter gambled with a licensed operator
Porter operated a VIP account at FanDuel in Colorado between 2021 and 2023.
The account, registered in Porter’s name, logged more than 1,000 bets with no wagers on NBA games during that span. The NBA’s active gambling rules and policies allow players, coaches, and league employees to bet on other sports but not NBA-related contests.
Porter finished his NBA career averaging 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game across two seasons. He also logged NBA minutes with the Memphis Grizzlies.
