Toronto Raptors’ Jontay Porter has been reportedly placed under a level of scrutiny for quite some time now. After analyzing his games on the 26 of January and the 20 of March 2024, an investigation was recently launched by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver into whether Porter made unusual and unauthorized prop bets on himself. This incident has left many people from the NBA fraternity in dismay, with some of them making their opinions known publicly. Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal is the latest individual to join this circle.

During the latest episode of his ‘The Big Podcast’, Shaq discussed the Porter investigation with his co-host Adam Lefkoe. When Lefkoe asked how the 52-year-old would react if the allegations turned out to be true, Shaq put his genuine feelings on the table and stated, “I’d have to punch him in his face”. He did not want any leniency to be imposed upon Porter since he felt the latter wasted his and his family’s hard-earned money. Contrary to the punishment that Adam Silver is proposing, Shaq suggested a unique method of teaching the Raptors athlete a lesson.

“He (Porter) would have to give his whole salary back,” said Shaq. “And you got 30 days. You’ve got 30 days to pay that $450,000 you’re making. You’ve got 450K to pay the league back, plus whatever the person made, 250K? You got to pay me 650K, you got 30 days. You don’t get that done, you’re banned from all leagues”. With his latest comments, Shaq has joined the small yet vocal circle of individuals from the NBA who have raised an opinion on this ongoing issue.

Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic was one of the first individuals to speak out after the news first gained traction. Highlighting Porter’s limited playtime during the January and March games after he cited an injury issue, the coach stated, “I never doubt injuries. I never doubt honestly from players. Obviously, I’ve never had a situation like this before.”

Shaquille O’Neal spoke out only hours after Adam Silver provided an update on the investigation probe.

Adam Silver claims that the option to “ban” Porter is on the table

During a recent press conference after the annual Board of Governors meeting, the NBA commissioner highlighted the Jontay Porter allegations. Citing it as a ‘cardinal sin’, Silver made it clear that the investigation is still ongoing. Furthermore, he claimed that he holds a significant authority in his hands to decide the consequences that will occur in the aftermath of the same.

“The ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game,” said Silver during the presser.

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“That’s the level of authority I have here because there’s nothing more serious around this league when it comes to gambling around our games than direct player involvement. The investigation is ongoing but the consequences could be severe.”

Jontay Porter may become the first player from the NBA fraternity to get himself disciplined for gambling. However, he wouldn’t be the first in the world of basketball as a whole. Back in 1954, a college player by the name of Jack Molinas was permanently banned from his team, Fort Wayne Pistons, after betting on them. Doug Moe, who would later go on to serve as the Denver Nuggets coach from 1980-1990, also faced a ban during his NCAA days which was later reversed. Former referee Tim Donaghy remains the only individual from the NBA to have had severe consequences for his betting actions. He was reportedly sentenced to 15 months after pleading guilty to engaging in wire fraud and after being found betting on games that he officiated as well as passing information to other individuals.

What are your thoughts on the Jontay Porter controversy? Let us know in the comments down below.

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