Michael Porter Jr. defends his brother Jontay amid reported betting investigation

Apr 26, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) greets his brother Memphis Grizzlies forward Jontay Porter (4) after the game at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Porter Jr. addressed the NBA’s investigation of his brother Jontay Porter for the first time Thursday, telling reporters he doesn’t think the younger Porter would do anything to jeopardize his NBA career.

The NBA opened an investigation into Jontay Porter over irregularities involving his prop bets, ESPN reported Monday. The 24-year-old Toronto Raptors center has been away from the team since last week as a result.

“I’ve known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is and I know he’s excited to play basketball and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy,” said Michael Porter Jr., who’s a year older than Jontay.

Michael Porter Jr. speaks on his brother's gambling allegations.

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Porter also added his voice to the growing chorus of NBA players speaking up about their experiences with sports bettors. He said hearing from disappointed bettors is a part of the game now.

“Yeah, especially the last few years you hear people in the crowd saying what they need you to score tonight or what they don’t want you to score,” Porter said, via AP. “Every night you’re disappointing someone. You’re disappointing people if you score too much because they may have bet on the under, and you’re disappointing people if you didn’t score enough.

“So, it’s a part of the game now. I think that it’s obviously a dangerous habit. It’s a dangerous vice for people. You know, the love of money is the root of all evil. So, I think that even though it is a thing, we as players just have to accept that. We get paid a lot of money to play this game and I know these people, these fans, they want to make some money, as well. …

“It’s definitely something that has kind of taken over the sporting world — I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Michael Porter Jr. defends his brother Jontay amid reported betting investigation