Jontay Porter Eyes Comeback in Newly Relaunched USBL with Seahawks

Jontay Porter is planning a return to professional basketball, less than a year after his NBA career came to an abrupt end.

The former Toronto Raptors forward, who was banned by the NBA in 2024 for illegal betting, says he intends to play next month in the United States Basketball League (USBL). 

Trying to Provide for the Family

If everything goes as planned, Porter will suit up for the Seattle Superhawks on March 7, marking his first professional appearance since the league handed down its lifetime ban.

“I am just trying to do what I can to provide for my family,” Porter told The Athletic.

Porter’s exit from the NBA followed an investigation that found he bet on Raptors games and manipulated his own playing time to influence prop bets tied to his performance. That summer, the US Department of Justice charged him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He later pleaded guilty.

Federal prosecutors said Porter removed himself early from two Raptors games during the 2023-24 season so that members of a betting ring could cash in on wagers related to his stats. Four other men were charged in connection with the same scheme.

Porter is now awaiting sentencing.

Not His First Comeback Attempt

The league he is attempting to join, the USBL, relaunched this past fall after previously operating for 24 years before shutting down in 2008. The league sits outside the NBA structure, offering a different level of professional competition and, for players like Porter, a possible second chance to keep playing.

This is not the first time Porter has tried to resume his career. After pleading guilty in 2024, he sought permission to sign with Promitheas BC in Greece. 

The federal judge overseeing his case denied that request, even though the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and pre-trial services did not oppose the move.

Porter’s case unfolded alongside broader federal investigations into illegal gambling tied to basketball. 

Last fall, prosecutors charged dozens of people in separate cases. Among them was Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who was indicted in October on allegations that he exited a March 2023 game early and shared inside information that was later sold to bettors. 

Rozier has pleaded not guilty and denied the charges through his attorney. Several men linked to that case have also been charged in relation to a sweeping college basketball gambling investigation involving nearly two dozen players across more than a dozen schools.