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NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that Porter (personal), who is under investigation by the league following multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months, could face a permanently ban from the league if the investigation finds that the 24-year-old had any involvement in the increased betting interest surrounding his prop bets earlier in the season, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports. "I have an enormous range of discipline available to me," Silver said. "But it's a cardinal sin, what he's accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. Because there's nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe."
Porter hasn't suited up for Toronto since March 22, with the Raptors listing him out for "personal reasons" while the investigation is ongoing. He'll almost certainly remain away from the Raptors for the rest of the season, and based on Silver's comments, Porter's future in the NBA moving forward would appear to be in significant question. The league's investigation stems from prop bets involving Porter for games played Jan. 26 and March 20, when the center exited those contests early due to an eye injury and an illness while playing just four and three minutes, respectively. According to the DraftKings Sportsbook, "unders" on Porter prop bets ended up being the biggest moneymakers for NBA bettors on both of those dates. For his part, Porter has yet to issue a public comment on the NBA's investigation.
