Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter texted a co-conspirator in his gambling case during an NBA game to provide inside information, new court documents obtained by The Athletic say. That information comes after the arrest of Shane Hennen, another alleged co-conspirator in the scheme, on Sunday.
Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA for a scheme that involved bettors placing large prop bets on Porter’s statistics in two known games: a Jan. 26 matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers and a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings.
In both instances, there was abnormal betting volume on the “under” in multiple statistical categories for Porter. Porter was removed from both of those games early. In the Clippers game, it was due to an eye injury. In the Kings game, it was because of an illness.
Hennen was the fifth co-conspirator arrested in the case outside of Porter, and he received a screenshot of the text from Porter from a different co-conspirator the next day. That text message was apparently sent from the Raptors locker room during their game on Jan. 22. Porter was taken to the locker room to have his eye examined, and he sent a text saying that he didn’t expect to play more in that game — a game he started. He did note that under certain circumstances, though, he would attempt to post statistics.
“But if it’s garbage time I will shoot a million shots,” he wrote, per court documents. A screenshot of that text was sent to Hennen the next day.
According to the documents, Porter told two others involved in the scheme before the Jan. 26 game that he would remove himself from the game that night with the eye injury. That information was then allegedly shared with Hennen and led to a wager of $3,700 on Porter recording fewer than 4.5 rebounds. From The Athletic:
Hennen was also sent along another message from Porter that read: “Hit unders for the big numbers. I told [Co-Conspirator 2] no blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.” Hennen bet $3,700 through a proxy, according to the complaint filed against him and who federal prosecutors do not name, that Porter would not reach the 4.5 rebounds total listed for him and won.
Hennen also allegedly was informed of Porter’s plans to remove himself from the game on March 20.
Hennen also received information ahead of the March 20 game that Porter would again pull himself from the game. Hennen, prosecutors allege, was asked not to leak this information, but prosecutors believe that he did tell others ahead of the game. Hennen ultimately bet $2,400 that Porter would not reach the over/under total for points. Porter played three minutes in that game and had no points, no assists and two rebounds.
This season, the NBA revised its policy regarding cell phone usage during games. While the old policy prevented social media usage from the period starting 45 minutes before tip off through the end of the game, the new policy bans cell phone usage of any kind. Teams now designate one staffer to serve as a point of communication in case of emergency. While this policy was billed as a way to limit distractions for players, it also provides an added layer of security against violations to the game’s integrity.
Porter was quickly banned from the NBA for life when news of this scandal broke, and he has already pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in this case. He is set to be sentenced in May, and that sentence could range from no prison time to up to 20 years, with the estimated sentencing guideline suggesting that 41-to-51 months is the likeliest outcome.
Besides Porter and Hennen, four others also have been charged to date in the case.
