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Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. breaks silence on NBA investigating his brother
Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter (34). Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. breaks silence on NBA investigating his brother

Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. is convinced that his younger brother, Jontay Porter, wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his NBA career. 

After the Nuggets' 104-97 loss to the Suns on Wednesday, MPJ addressed the gambling allegations leveled against his brother for which he is under investigation by the NBA.

"I know Jontay loves the game of basketball," Porter Jr. told reporters. "He's been really excited to play with the Raptors. At this point, I know as much as you guys know [about NBA's investigation]."

"I've known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is and I know he's excited to play basketball. I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy."

The Nuggets sharpshooter acknowledged that his peers could be tempted into falling prey to the world of gambling, especially with the information at their disposal. 

Furthermore, the NBA and its broadcast partners are tied to the hip with betting companies and routinely encourage fans to wager on games. 

As such, MPJ revealed he often hears fans in the crowd urging him to score a particular number so that they can cover a spread or a prop bet. 

"Every night you're disappointing someone in the crowd," Porter Jr. admitted. "You're disappointing people if you score too much because they may have bet on the under, and you're disappointing people if you didn't score enough. So, it's a part of the game now. It's obviously a dangerous habit. It's a dangerous vice for people."

Although the NBA prohibits players and league personnel from betting on games, the accusations against Porter could open a can of worms. A former Mavericks executive has already sounded the alarm bells. 

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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