Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. has had an up close and personal look at the dangers of sports gambling.
His younger brother, Jontay Porter, was banned from the NBA for violating the league’s gambling rules. The NBA’s investigation revealed that Jontay Porter disclosed confidential information to known NBA bettors, limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of bets on his performance, and placed bets on NBA games.
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In an interview with the “One Night with Steiny” podcast, the elder Porter revealed how sports gambling has become an increasing problem that can impact “the integrity of the game.”
He said players can conspire with their buddies to impact an NBA game so they all make money.
“Think about it if you can get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under. This one game Imma act like I got an injury and I’m going to come out after three minutes,’ and they all get a little bag because you did it one game…Some people probably think like that. They come from nothing and all their homies have nothing,“ Porter, who was traded to Brooklyn from the Denver Nuggets at the deadline, explained. ”And they’re like, bro, if I come out of this game after three minutes and y’all all hit on my under, we’re all getting a little bag.”
Former Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley made headlines recently because he’s the subject of a federal gambling probe and was then evicted from his apartment.
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‘’Obviously, my brother went through his situation,“ Michael Porter said of the gambling problems. ”Malik Beasley’s going through a situation right now. Terry Rozier was in some hot water. But the whole sports gambling entity, it’s bad and it’s only gonna get worse.”
Porter, a devout Christian, also said his “vice has always come in the form of women” and said that’s “where the Devil gets me.”
“My brother, Jontay, he didn’t struggle with that vice ice (women),” he said in a video post. I didn’t struggle with gambling addiction. I never struggled with that vice. God gave me a lot of money cuz he figured I could handle it and not lose myself in that area. And maybe Jontay, he was not blessed with tons of money because he struggled with that area of the idolization of money. I have not been blessed with a wife because maybe I am not prepared to handle that because of my struggles.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.