The 24-year-old striker could be banned for life! Xiao Hua called illegal betting a big crime: nothing is more serious than this
On April 11, Beijing time, NBA league president Xiao Hua said in an interview that 24-year-old Raptors forward Jote Porter is currently under investigation by the league due to multiple illegal betting behaviors in the past few months, and if his alleged circumstances are true, he may be banned from the NBA for life. Xiao Hua called this kind of behavior a "great sin."
"I don't think there's anything worse in this league than gambling: players are directly involved in betting on our games," Xiao Hua said, "and the investigation is ongoing, and the consequences could be very serious." ”
ESPN first reported on March 26 that Porter was suspected of betting on his own game stats for the January 27 and March 21 games, raising suspicions. The data shows that Porter's data made the most betting profits on both dates.
The NBA has been plagued by betting scandals in the past, such as the 2007 case involving former referee Tim Donaghi, but the topic has come into the spotlight again as sports betting has rapidly legalized in U.S. states. Shaw wants a federal framework governing sports betting, rather than the current patchwork of states, and the NBA would prefer it to be public like this, so that if such violations do occur, they will be easier to detect.
But he also acknowledges that as the relationship between the NBA, other professional leagues, media companies and bookmakers deepens, it could lead to a rethinking of the future direction of those relationships.
"At the end of the day, the integrity of the game is nothing more important," Xiao Hua said, "so any issues that are raised around this issue are of great concern to me and all the committee members, all the maintainers, all the people who have the ability and responsibility to maintain the game." ”
Jote Porter is the younger brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. So far this season, he has played in 26 games for the Raptors, averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.