The Big Lead

Michael Porter Jr. explains how NBA players might get involved in sports gambling

Michael Porter Jr. spoke about the circumstances some NBA players come from that might motivate them to get into sports betting.

By Divij Kulkarni

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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Betting and gambling have become an integral part of top-level sports in recent years. The largest companies in the field sponsor athletes, sports media, and even the top teams across various sports. And, unfortunately, at times, players are tempted to get directly involved as well.

The NBA is no exception to this rule, and the Jontay Porter case was a recent example that players can alter their performances to manipulate the lines. He's not the only player to have done so, either. And now his brother, Michael Porter Jr., has explained what might tempt athletes to do this.

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“Think about if you can get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo bet $10,000 on my under this one game, I’m gonna act like I got an injury. I’m gonna come out after three minutes.,'" Porter Jr. said.

"They all get a little bag because you did it in one game. That is not okay, but some people probably think like that; they come from nothing, and all their homies have nothing."

This is an interesting perspective on the matter, as it goes to show just how easy it might be for players to manipulate these things. What he is suggesting may not be extremely common, but it's hard to imagine that players haven't done this while getting away with it in the past.

Sports gambling is only going to grow bigger as an industry, and the NBA world has to learn to deal with its darker implications. Hopefully, the integrity of the game doesn't get further compromised moving forward.

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