An N.B.A. Player Got Hooked on Sports Betting. Soon, He Became the Bet
Jontay Porter got deep into FanDuel, and in debt to the wrong people. The only way out, it seemed, was to gamble on himself.
Jontay, the fourth of eight children, grew up in Columbia, Missouri. His family viewed basketball as the way to college; all eight children eventually received scholarships. By age sixteen, Jontay stood six feet ten inches tall. He joined the University of Missouri men's basketball team as a high school senior, becoming the top recruit in the country.
N.B.A. scouts thought he could be the next Kevin Durant. Jontay's fame skyrocketed when his father got a job at the university, but the hype became overwhelming. Jontay wanted to be part of the frenzy and skipped his senior year of high school to join the team.
Written by urgent.news from The New Yorker's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
