Did Michael Porter Jr. Just Approve of Brother Jontay’s Gambling?

When former Toronto Raptors big man Jontay Porter was banned for life from the NBA last year after being found to have worked with gamblers to throw prop bets, it also thrust his more famous All-Star brother and former NBA champion Michael Porter Jr. into the spotlight.

Porter Jr. isn't exactly helping his case however, with a shocking statement that he can understand why a player would do something illegal like his brother did:

Michael Porter Jr. on sports betting:

“Think about if you can get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under this one game, I’m gonna act like I got an injury & come out after three minutes.’ All all get a little bag because you did it one game. That is… pic.twitter.com/FmcwiEzuLT
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) August 12, 2025

“Think about it, if you can get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under this one game, I’m gonna act like I got an injury & come out after three minutes.’ Y'all get a little bag because you did it one game. That is so not okay, but, people think like that. They come from nothing. All their homies come from nothing.”

He went on to add, "Jontay ... wasn’t blessed with a lot of money," Porter Jr. said, "because maybe God knew he couldn’t handle that temptation.

"Everybody has different things that they struggle with. My brother struggled with gambling, my vice has always come in the form of women."

Overall, Porter Jr. says he is using his stunning statements to bring light to the fact that sports gambling can affect the “integrity of the game...

"The whole sports gambling, like, entity? Bro, it's bad and it's only gonna get worse. Like, we really do get death threats.”

Porter's younger brother Jontay, in addition to the lifetime ban, is also facing up to four years' jail time and hefty fines. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in July 2024, and has had his sentencing delayed from May 20th of this year until Dec. 10th.

Porter Jr., part of the Nuggets' 2023 NBA champions, was traded this offseason to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Cameron Johnson deal.