NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said yesterday that Raptors C Jontay Porter “could face expulsion from the league” if the gambling-related accusations against him are found to be true, according to Brian Mahoney of the AP. Silver, speaking after a two-day meeting of the league’s BOG, did “not reveal any specifics” about the investigation surrounding Porter other than saying that the probe “is ongoing.” Porter has not played since the league said that it was "looking into betting patterns surrounding his on-court performance." Silver said, “I have enormous range of discipline available to me. It’s cardinal sin what he’s accused of in the NBA. The ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of authority I have here because there’s nothing more serious.” The investigation surrounds Porter’s performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. In both of those games, Porter “played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness” -- and did “not come close to the numbers that were offered to bettors as prop wagers in those contests.” Some sportsbooks have said that they “were alerted to odd betting patterns surrounding the Porter prop offerings in those games," which means it is likely that the league -- which has business relationships with many wagering companies -- “may have received some of that same information” (AP, 4/10).
