Michael Porter Jr. expresses his concern about the impact of sports betting on the integrity and enjoyment of the game. The basketball player believes that the increasing popularity of betting is negatively affecting the essence of the sport.
Porter Jr. made these statements during an interview on the “One Night with Steiny” podcast. The player referred to the problems of his younger brother, Jontay Porter, who was banned from the NBA in 2024 for his involvement in a betting scheme. Jontay admitted to intentionally leaving two games to benefit associates who had bet that his statistics would be below expectations, seeking to settle gambling debts. Porter Jr., recently traded to the Brooklyn Nets, mentioned how the temptations of gambling can affect players who come from difficult economic situations.The enjoyment of the game is no longer about the game. It’s so people can make money. In reality, many more people are losing money than winning.
Michael Porter Jr.
Porter Jr. added that the players are in a complicated situation due to the bets, since they constantly “ruin” the over/under bets, which have become very popular with the expansion of legal sports betting. The player also revealed that they receive death threats, and questioned what could happen if a deranged gambler physically attacked an athlete. Porter Jr. suggests that sports betting should be limited to in-person bets, and only in Las Vegas.If you could make all your friends rich by telling them: ‘Bet $10,000 that my stats will be below in this game. I’ll fake an injury and leave. I’ll leave after three minutes.’ And everyone gets some money because you did it in a game.
Michael Porter Jr.
The entire sports betting entity… is bad and is only going to get worse.
Michael Porter Jr.
