Court papers say ex-Raptor Jontay Porter laid out betting scheme in a text; 6th person arrested

A sixth person was charged Monday in the federal sports betting case involving ex-NBA player Jontay Porter, and authorities disclosed a text message Porter allegedly sent explaining how to cash in on his plans to bench himself in a January 2024 game.

The former Toronto Raptors centre already has pleaded guilty in the criminal case and was banned from the NBA for life. He admitted that he agreed to withdraw early from games, claiming illness or injury, so that those in the know could win big by betting on him to underperform expectations.

Although the new developments don't affect the legal case against Porter, they put the scheme in what a court document says were his own words.

"Hit unders for the big numbers," Porter wrote to an alleged conspirator on Jan. 26, 2024, according to a court complaint against yet another alleged schemer, Shane Hennen. He was arrested Sunday at the Las Vegas airport while boarding a flight to Panama.

"No blocks no steals. I'm going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again," Porter wrote, according to the complaint. It identifies him only as "NBA Player 1" but makes clear through references — such as the details of his guilty plea last year — that it's Porter.

He had scratched an eye during a game on Jan. 22, 2024, keeping conspirators in the loop by text even from the arena, according to the complaint. But he wasn't on the injured list when the Raptors faced the LA Clippers four days later.

Porter ultimately played about 4 1/2 minutes in that game before saying he had aggravated the eye problem. Then he pulled out of a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings after less than three minutes, saying he felt ill. His performance