Michael Porter Jr. Had ‘Therapy Session’ With Brother About Legal Troubles

Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. recently revealed he had an “honest” and emotional conversation with his brother, former NBA player Jontay Porter.

During an interview, Michael Porter Jr. was as open as he could be about his brother’s legal woes, which culminated in his arrest and a conspiracy-to-commit-wire-fraud charge in connection with a sports betting scheme.

While Jontay was playing for the Toronto Raptors, the University of Missouri alum was arrested and charged with wire fraud after investigators learned he provided gamblers with non-public information, leading to massive payouts on his player props.

According to ABC News, Jontay’s lawyer revealed the basketball player had become addicted to gambling and acquired a large amount of debt.

Jontay was reportedly encouraged by the gamblers he was working with to clear his debts by leaving games early, so bets on him underperforming would win.

Jontay spoke in court after pleading guilty, admitting that he “knew what I did was wrong and unlawful.” He added, “I’m deeply sorry for my conduct.”

Speaking with The Post about his career, Michael told the publication that he recently spoke with his brother about his ongoing legal troubles, which could land him in prison for up to 20 years, and described the conversation as “honest and transparent.”

“He recently actually got on my podcast. We haven’t put it out yet. We’re not able to put anything out at this time. But we did sit down to have a three-hour conversation,” Michael said, later explaining that the conversation was quite transformational.

“It was like a therapy session for us because as brothers that was the first time we sat down and really had a full conversation about what really happened, him being super honest and transparent about the entire thing. And it was great,” he finished.

Following Jontay’s arrest, the NBA announced its decision to ban Jontay from the league and slammed the athlete for causing viewers to question the “integrity” of such a revered league.

“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.

Jontay isn’t the only NBA figure tied to a gambling scandal. Indeed, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of Terry Rozier (Miami Heat) and former NBA player Damon Jones on October 23, alleging they’ve been involved in an ongoing gambling scheme that has paid out large amounts of money.

“Former and current NBA players and coaches, including Terry Rozier, Damon Jones and additional co-conspirators, allegedly informed the defendants and others of confidential information relating to upcoming NBA games and player performances, such as pre-release medical information and a player’s intention to alter their upcoming game performance, which favored certain bettors within their inner social circle,” said an FBI spokesperson.

“This alleged collusion resulted in the defendants secretly pocketing their lavish winnings and corrupting NBA games. The FBI will never turn a blind eye to any insider betting scheme within sporting industries – regardless of title or professional affiliation – to protect its integrity and afford all participants a fair chance to win big,” they added.

In the official DOJ press release, Rozier is accused of sharing non-public information with a “longtime” friend about his plans to underperform during a March 23 NBA game.

Investigators claim that Rozier’s friend then instructed others to place more than $200,000 in wagers on Rozier’s “under” statistics, resulting in “tens of thousands of dollars in profits.”

Rozier’s friend is accused then collecting the money and later driving it to Rozier, where they reportedly counted it together.

Elsewhere in the report, Jones is accused of selling “insider information on numerous occasions” to people close to him, who placed “significant wagers based on the tips.”

Specifically, Jones allegedly provided information to other gamblers about “pre-release medical information” about a star player on the Los Angeles Lakers, believed to be LeBron James, “for the purpose of enabling the co-conspirators to place wagers based on this information.”