The NBA Playoffs are around the corner, but one of the biggest stories in the league surrounds a player and a team that won't even make the postseason.
Jontay Porter, a bit player for the Toronto Raptors, is currently under investigation after news was released late last month that he allegedly may have fixing player prop bets on himself.
DraftKings Sportsbook released results of prop bets on Porter, showing that they were the number one most winnings for the entire night of Jan. 26, a game that Porter had left after four minutes due to an eye injury.
A similar incident happened on March 20 after Porter left a game after three minutes due to an illness and did not return.
There are still nothing certain about the investigation, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the potential consequences that Porter could be facing during a press conference after the NBA Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday, April 10.
"It's a cardinal sin what he's accused of in the NBA," Silver said. "The ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game ... There's nothing more serious around this league when it comes to gambling and betting on our games and that is a direct player involvement. Investigation is ongoing but the consequences could be very severe."
Related: John Skipper and David Samson drop the hammer on NBA betting scandal
Silver reiterated that Porter is still under investigation, but that he has an "enormous range" of disciplinary actions available for him to put on Porter when the investigation concludes.
The Commissioner also mentioned in the press conference that he does support legalized betting — if only because it allows for betting to be regulated.
"I'm not against it in terms of legalized sports betting because I think the alternative is illegal sports betting, and I think at least in the legalized structure, there's transparency," Silver said.
In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned a rule that banned mass sports betting across majority of the country. In just over half a decade, nearly 40 states are now able to bet on sports in some capacity.
Related: The NCAA is making a strong appeal that will completely change sports gambling
But while Silver is in favor of legalization, he admitted that his personal preference is that there be a federal level of legislation for the industry.
"Our position from the beginning is that this should be a regulated industry in the United States," Silver said. "My personal preference, rather than dealing with the state by state laws which is what we now are dealing with, there should be consistent federal legislation nationally."
Outside of Porter, there have been a lot of other issues surrounding the legalization of sports betting. Players, both professional and amateur, have complained about the change in the treatment of fans who view them as a way to make money and lash out against them if they fail.
The NCAA is already pitching to ban player props as a result of some of these issues.
Silver acknowledged that there is a lot that the league is learning surrounding sports betting, including the volume of marketing for these companies. He said that the leagues and the gaming companies themselves are studying how to best go about this, particularly because of the difference in regulations around the country.
"We're learning a lot about this industry," Silver said "We all have to address that as an industry including the gaming companies and discuss where the proper lines are."
Related: More behind the scenes details revealed about departure of top ESPN exec
