Michael Porter Jr. isn’t holding back when it comes to his feelings about the rapid rise of sports betting, and the effect it’s having on players.
“The enjoyment of the game isn’t for the game anymore,” Porter said on the One Night with Steiny podcast. “It’s so that people can make money. In reality, way more people are losing money than making money.”
Porter’s perspective comes with an extremely personal angle.
His younger brother, Jontay Porter, was banned from the NBA in 2024 for his role in a gambling scheme. Jontay admitted in court that he removed himself from two games during the 2023-24 season to help associates who had bet on his unders, a move designed to pay off gambling debts.
“Think about it, if you could get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under this one game. I’m going to act like I’ve got an injury, and I’m going sit out. I’m going to come out after three minutes,’” Porter said. “And they all get a little bag because you did it one game. That is so not OK, but some people probably think like that. They come from nothing, and all their homies have nothing.”
Michael Porter Jr. on sports betting
“Think about it if you can get all your homies rich by telling yo bet 10K on my under..this one game imma act like I got an injury and they all get a lil bag… some people come from nothing & they think like that.”
(Via @onenightsteiny) pic.twitter.com/rxIaNoW19w
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 12, 2025
Porter, now with the Brooklyn Nets, also pointed to other recent headline, including federal gambling investigations involving Malik Beasley and Terry Rozier.
“Obviously, my brother went through his situation,” Porter said. “Malik Beasley’s going through a situation right now. Terry Rozier was in some hot water. But the whole sports gambling entity, it’s bad and it’s only gonna get worse.”
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