Banned NBAer Jontay Porter Seeks to Re-Start Pro Basketball Career in USBL
Posted on: February 26, 2026, 03:12h.
Last updated on: February 26, 2026, 03:17h.
- USBL season scheduled to start next week
- Porter set to be sentenced after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges
- Porter was banned for life by the NBA after gambling scandal
Jontay Porter, the former member of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, who pled guilty in court for his involvement in an illegal gambling scheme, is set to re-start his pro basketball career as a member of the United States Basketball League’s Seattle SuperHawks.
League Opportunity
The USBL’s season starts this spring with eight teams. The so-called “league of opportunity” originally launched in 1985, Games were played from April to July, so it wasn’t conflicting with the NBA season. Comprised of regional teams, the pro league was a stepping stone for many players into the NBA.
The USBL folded in 2007, but has been revived in 2026. There will be a focus on player development, and serving underserved markets. The USBL back in the day sent 150 players to the NBA.
Porter, though, isn’t going to be using the USBL as a stepping stone to the NBA.
Suspended for Life by NBA
He was banned for life by the league in April 2024 for violating the league’s gambling rules.
Porter is awaiting sentencing, pleading guilty in July 2024 to wire fraud conspiracy after he deliberately underperformed in two Raptors games in early 2024, collaborating with gamblers to win prop bets. He is facing up to 20 years in prison.
Porter was also found by the NBA to have bet on NBA games that he wasn’t playing in, violating league rules.
Seattle opens its home schedule on March 7 against the Lilac City Legends, with Porter expected to be in the lineup. As a member of the Raptors, Porter, 26, averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games during the 2023-24 season. Then the gambling investigation exploded into the public arena.
Porter Still To Be Sentenced
The Porter arrest led to an expansion of a federal investigation that led to the arrest of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
Rozier is set to go trial over allegations he worked with gamblers to manipulate his on-court performance as a member of the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, to help gamblers cash in on thousands of dollars in prop bets. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Billups was arrested for something different – his alleged involvement in an illegal poker racket that involved organized crime families. Billups has also pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy.
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