The Athletic exclusively reported on Thursday that Jontay Porter, who was banned for life by the NBA for illegal betting, plans to make a professional basketball comeback soon by playing in the United States Basketball League (USBL).

According to the report, Porter has quietly signed with the Seattle Superhawks of the USBL and plans to make his Super Hawks debut in the new season, which begins on March 7.

If successful, this will be his first professional basketball game since being banned by the NBA in 2024 for his involvement in illegal betting activities involving the Toronto Raptors and manipulating game performance to help sports bettors win bets.

That summer, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against him, and Porter subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to the indictment, federal prosecutors at the time stated that Porter left two Raptors games early in the 2023/24 season so that a sports betting syndicate could win special bets.

That summer, four other men were also indicted for their involvement in the scheme. Porter is currently awaiting sentencing.

The Universal Basketball League (USBL) is one of the professional basketball leagues in the United States, which ceased operation in 2008 after 24 years in operation. The league was later relaunched in the fall of 2025.

After pleading guilty in 2024, Porter attempted to join the Greek professional basketball team Promitheas, but the federal judge presiding over the case rejected Porter's request to play abroad.

At the time, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and the pretrial services did not object to him joining Promitheas.

About Jontay Porter

Porter, 26, was born on November 15, 1999, in Columbia, Missouri, USA. He is 2.08 meters tall and plays power forward/center. His older brother, Michael Porter Jr., is also a professional basketball player, currently playing small forward for the Brooklyn Nets.

Porter, a graduate of the University of Missouri, went undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft but signed with the Memphis Grizzlies the following year.

After playing 11 games for the Grizzlies, Porter was waived in July 2021. He later joined the Denver Nuggets for the 2022 NBA Summer League.

In November 2022, Porter joined the Milwaukee Bucks' G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

The following October, Porter moved to Detroit Pistons, but was waived a few weeks later and joined its G League affiliate, Motor City Cruise.

In December 2023, Porter signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors.

In 26 games for the Raptors, Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for the Canadian-based NBA team.

Image source: Internet / Associated Press