NBA player whose brother was banned claims league’s betting problem is only getting worse

182407372JG0359_Bulls_76ers flickr photo by Philadelphia 76ers shared under a Creative Commons (BY-ND) license

Brooklyn Nets player Michael Porter Jr. claimed on the One Night with Steiny podcast that the NBA’s betting problem is only going to get worse.

His comments come in the wake of a story that broke earlier this summer that Detroit Pistons player Malik Beasley was under federal investigation over gambling allegations. Beasley joins the likes of Terry Rozier as another current NBA player who is under investigation for illegal sports gambling activities.

Article continues below ad

Porter Jr.’s brother, Jontay, was banned for life from the NBA in 2024 after admitting to removing himself from games to benefit gamblers who had bet on his props.  The new Brooklyn Net addition says he understands why this can happen, as he believes it’s difficult for those from poorer backgrounds to resist the temptation.

On the podcast, Porter Jr. said, “Think about it, if you could get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under this one game. I’m going to act like I’ve got an injury, and I’m going sit out. I’m going to come out after three minutes, and they all get a little bag because you did it one game.”

Porter also referenced that gambling has taken the joy from the game as players are in a lose-lose situation, as they are messing up by either going over or under their prop bets.

He added, “The whole sports gambling entity … it’s bad and it’s only going to get worse.”

Dig deeper

2025/05/05: NBA expresses concerns over sports prediction integrity to CFTC 2025/08/04: Genius Sports lands data rights deal with European Leagues 2025/04/24: Caesars Entertainment launches new slot game for NBA playoffs 2025/02/04: Investigations into suspected NBA gambling ring finds illegal wagers made on college basketball games