Jontay Porter facts for kids

Jontay Porter (born November 15, 1999) is an American professional basketball player. He used to play for the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers. His older brother, Michael Porter Jr., also played there. Jontay was named the Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year during his first year. He missed his second college season due to serious knee injuries. Jontay entered the 2019 NBA draft but was not chosen by any team.

Jontay started his professional career in 2020 with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also played for their minor league team, the Memphis Hustle. After a break, he joined the Wisconsin Herd and later the Motor City Cruise in the G League. In 2023, he signed with the Toronto Raptors.

In 2024, the NBA banned Jontay Porter from playing basketball forever. This happened because he broke the league's rules about betting on games.

High School Basketball

Jontay Porter began his high school basketball journey in Columbia, Missouri. He played for Father Tolton Regional Catholic High School. In his first year, he scored about 11.8 points and grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game.

During his second year, Jontay helped Father Tolton win their first Missouri Class 3 State Championship. This was a big achievement for the team.

Later, Jontay and his older brother Michael moved to Seattle, Washington. Their father became a coach at the University of Washington. In Seattle, Jontay and Michael played for Nathan Hale High School.

Their coach at Nathan Hale was Brandon Roy, a former NBA All-Star player. Under Coach Roy, the team had a perfect season, winning all 29 games. They also won the Washington Class 3A State Championship. Jontay played very well, averaging 14.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.

Jontay was first expected to graduate high school in 2018. However, he decided to finish school a year early in 2017. This allowed him to join his brother at the University of Missouri. He also grew taller, which helped him play as a power forward or center.

College Basketball Journey

Jontay Porter played his first college game on November 10, 2017. He was just a few days shy of his 18th birthday. In that game, his team, the Missouri Tigers, won against Iowa State University.

Soon after, he scored 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a big win. A week later, he achieved his first "double-double." This means he had 11 points and 11 rebounds in one game.

In January 2018, Jontay started his first game for Missouri. He had another double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He continued to start for a few more games.

On February 27, Jontay scored his highest points of the season, with 24 points. He also had 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a win against Vanderbilt University. He started his last game of the season in the NCAA Tournament.

After his first year, Jontay thought about entering the 2018 NBA draft. He decided to return to Missouri for another year. Many people thought he would be a top pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

However, in October 2018, Jontay got a serious injury. He tore two important ligaments in his knee (ACL and MCL). This meant he would miss his entire second college season. While recovering, he tore his ACL again in March 2019. Despite these injuries, Jontay still decided to enter the 2019 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Career

Memphis Grizzlies (2020–2021)

Jontay Porter was not picked in the 2019 NBA draft. Teams were worried about his past injuries. On March 8, 2020, he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. He later signed a multi-year contract with them.

He played 11 games for the Grizzlies. He also spent time with their minor league team, the Memphis Hustle. In July 2021, the Grizzlies decided to let him go. Jontay later joined the Denver Nuggets for the 2022 NBA Summer League.

Wisconsin Herd (2022–2023)

On November 3, 2022, Jontay joined the Wisconsin Herd. This team is part of the G League and is connected to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Motor City Cruise (2023)

In October 2023, Jontay signed with the Detroit Pistons. However, he was released soon after. He then joined the Pistons' G League team, the Motor City Cruise.

Toronto Raptors / Raptors 905 (2023–2024)

On December 9, 2023, Jontay Porter signed a special contract with the Toronto Raptors. This contract allowed him to play for both the Raptors and their G League team, the Raptors 905. He played 26 games for the Raptors, averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

NBA Ban for Breaking Rules

In March 2024, news came out that the NBA was investigating Jontay Porter. They were looking into unusual betting activities. The investigation focused on bets related to Jontay's own game statistics.

The NBA found that Jontay shared secret information about his health with a person who bet on sports. Another person then placed a very large bet that Jontay would not reach certain statistics in a game. This bet would have won a lot of money. Jontay left that game early due to illness, which raised suspicion.

The NBA also found that Jontay had placed 13 bets on NBA games himself. He used someone else's account to do this. Some of these bets involved the Raptors losing games.

On April 17, Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA for life. This means he can never play or work in the NBA again. He was banned for sharing secret information, purposely limiting his play for betting reasons, and betting on NBA games. He is the first active player banned for gambling since 1954.

After this, the NBA created a new rule, sometimes called the "Jontay Porter Rule." This rule stops sportsbooks from allowing "under" bets on player statistics for players on certain types of contracts.

Personal Life

Jontay Porter has an older brother, Michael Porter Jr., who plays for the Denver Nuggets. He also has two older sisters, Bri and Cierra. Both of his sisters had to stop playing sports due to leg injuries, though Cierra later returned to play for the University of Missouri.

Jontay also has two younger brothers, Coban and Jevon. Coban played college basketball for the University of Denver. Jevon currently plays for Loyola Marymount University.

Career statistics

NBA

NBA G League

Showcase Cup

Regular season

College

See also

In Spanish: Jontay Porter para niños

• List of people banned or suspended by the NBA