Sports briefs
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Adam Silver: Probe of Toronto’s Jontay Porter could lead to banishment
NEW YORK | Toronto’s Jontay Porter could face expulsion from the league if the gambling-related accusations against him are found to be true, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday.
Silver, speaking after a two-day meeting of the league’s Board of Governors, did not reveal any specifics about the investigation surrounding Porter, other than saying the probe is ongoing. Porter has not played since the league said it was looking into betting patterns surrounding his on-court performance.
“I have enormous range of discipline available to me,” Silver said. “It’s cardinal sin what he’s accused of in the NBA. The ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of authority I have here because there’s nothing more serious.”
ESPN first reported the investigation, which it said surrounded Porter’s performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. In both of those games, Porter played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness — and did not come close to the numbers that were offered to bettors as prop wagers in those contests. That means those who basically bet against Porter would have cashed in, because he left those games before reaching the lines set by sportsbooks for his points and rebounds in those contests.
Some sportsbooks have said they were alerted to odd betting patterns surrounding the Porter prop offerings in those games, which means it’s likely that the league — which has business relationships with many wagering companies — may have received some of that same information.
“I mean, this is not new that there’s unsavory behavior, even illegal behavior, around sports betting,” Silver said. “I guess my point is that to the extent it’s going to exist, if you have a regulated environment, you’re going to have a better chance of detecting it than you would if all the bets were placed illegally.”
Porter was listed as out, with the team citing personal reasons, for the 10th consecutive game on Wednesday with the Raptors in Brooklyn to take on the Nets. The Raptors finish the season with games at Miami on Friday and Sunday. Porter’s absence started almost simultaneously to the revelation that the NBA was probing the betting patterns surrounding his games.
Other items from Silver’s news conference:
TIMBERWOLVES SALE
Silver said he didn’t expect the NBA to have a role in the dispute over the proposed ownership transfer of the Minnesota Timberwolves from Glen Taylor to former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, but may have to reconsider if it would allow a similar sales process in the future.
Taylor said last month the duo hadn’t met all of the deadlines for the condition of the sale and that he was no longer selling. Lore and Rodriguez, who already own about a 40% stake, had agreed to the purchase nearly three years ago. They bought about 20% of the franchise in 2021 and another portion of around 20% in 2023.
Silver said part of the sale structure was necessitated because the deal was struck in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think let’s wait to see how this one works out, but it’s certainly not ideal to have a stepped transaction like this,” Silver said. “It met our rules from that standpoint, and it’s what Glen Taylor wanted and it’s what they were willing to agree to at the time. But I think once the dust clears on this deal, it may cause us to reassess what sort of transactions we should allow.”
FOUL CALLS
Silver said foul calls dropped by about four per game later in the season after a series of high-scoring games in the first half. A night after the Boston Celtics became the first team in NBA history to attempt no free throws and combined with the Milwaukee Bucks for a record-low two attempts in a game, Silver said the league likes the way the games look now.
“I think there was a sense earlier in the season that there was too much of an advantage for the offensive players, whether — I think Steve Kerr said offensive players were using themselves as projectiles or hunting for fouls, however you want to call it. So that was a point of emphasis on behalf of the league,” Silver said.
“So yes, there was a bit of an adjustment made along the way. But again, the context is two fouls per team per game, and the end result, most importantly, we think is a better game.”
EXPANSION
Silver reiterated that the NBA won’t move forward with any expansion plans until it has completed its new media rights deals. The league is currently in an exclusive negotiating period with its two main partners, the Disney Company and Warner Bros. Discovery, and he said talks had been positive.
Seattle and Las Vegas have long been speculated as the cities that will get teams when the league grows beyond its current 30 teams. But Silver said all prospective buyers have been told the league isn’t ready yet.
“There aren’t private conversations happening right now,” Silver said. “No one has an inside track to getting a deal done, that at the time we will, with our committee, look at the cities that are interested, talk to the groups that are interested and then go from there.”
Track and field becomes first sport to pay prize money at Olympics
Track and field is set to become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics, with World Athletics saying Wednesday it would pay $50,000 to gold medalists in Paris.
The move is a symbolic break with the amateur past of the Olympics in one of the games’ most-watched events.
The governing body of athletics said it was setting aside $2.4 million to pay the gold medalists across the 48 men’s, women’s and mixed events on the track and field program for this year’s Paris Olympics. Relay teams will split the $50,000 between their members. Payments for silver and bronze medalists are planned to start from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told reporters that the move is meant “to recognize that the revenue share that we receive is in large part because our athletes are the stars of the show.”
The prize money will come out of the share of Olympic revenue that that the IOC distributes to World Athletics.
However, the move could upset the balance of power in the Olympic movement ahead of the Paris Games. Coe said World Athletics only gave the International Olympic Committee “a heads-up” of its intentions on Wednesday morning, shortly before it published its announcement.
In response, the IOC said it was up to each sport’s governing body to decide how to spend its share of Olympic revenue.
“The IOC redistributes 90% of all its income, in particular to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs),” the IOC said. “This means that, every day, the equivalent of $4.2 million goes to help athletes and sports organizations at all levels around the world. It is up to each IF and NOC to determine how to best serve their athletes and the global development of their sport.”
The modern Olympics originated as an amateur sports event and the IOC does not award prize money. However, many medalists receive payments from their countries’ governments, national sports bodies or from sponsors.
“I’m probably the last generation to have been on the 75-pence (95-cent) meal voucher and second-class rail fare, competing for my own country. So believe me, I do understand the nature of the transition we’ve been in,” Coe said.
The British runner won gold in the 1,500 meters at the 1980 and 1984 Games in an era when Olympic track was on the verge of opening up to professional athletes.
“It’s a completely different planet from when I was competing, so it’s very important that this sport recognizes the change in that landscape and the added pressures on many competitors.”
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee awarded $37,500 to gold medalists at the last Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021. Singapore’s National Olympic Council promises $1 million for Olympic gold, a feat only achieved once so far by a Singaporean competitor.
In sports like tennis and golf, the Olympic tournament is the only time in a season that many pro players compete for free, with medals on offer but no prize money. But Coe didn’t want to speculate on whether other events could follow track and field’s lead.
“I’ve always made it a point not to speak on behalf of other sports,” Coe said.
The move by World Athletics could be seen as an indicator of Coe’s intentions for the Olympics as a whole if he makes a run for the IOC presidency.
“I haven’t ruled it in, and I certainly haven’t ruled it out,” Coe said last year when asked whether he would consider running for the IOC’s top post when Thomas Bach’s term ends in 2025. The IOC typically disapproves of any public campaigning for the presidency and Coe’s comments drew criticism from Bach.
There’s no sign yet of any other Olympic sport following track’s lead. World Athletics is an outlier financially since it gets almost all its funding from its own events like the world championships. The governing bodies for many smaller sports depend on their IOC payments to survive the four-year cycle until the next Games.
World Aquatics, which oversees events like swimming, diving and water polo, told The Associated Press it considered introducing Olympic prize money in the run-up to the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo but instead opted to increase prize funds at its own competitions. Its world championships paid $20,000 per individual gold medal this year.
Olympic gold medalists in track and field will still earn less prize money than at World Athletics’ own world championships. Last year’s edition in Budapest paid out prize money down to eighth place with $70,000 on offer for individual gold medalists.
Athletes will have to pass “the usual anti-doping procedures” at the Olympics before they receive the new prize money, World Athletics added.
It’s uncertain how prize money would fit into the American college system, though recent changes that allow players to profit from sponsorship deals have undercut restrictions on athlete payments.
“I sincerely hope so,” Coe said when asked if he expected the NCAA to allow college athletes to accept Olympic prize money. “The rules and protocols have changed, and I can’t imagine the NCAA would think that this is in any way other than helpful for the support and the ecosystem that the athletes are now operating under.”
Josh Allen and the
Jaguars agree to a
five-year contract
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | Josh Allen had similar goals when he started his college and pro careers.
A two-star prospect told Kentucky coach Mark Stoops in 2015 he wanted to be the best to ever play for him. Allen took it a step further when the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him with the seventh overall pick in 2019.
“I wanted to be the best defensive player in Jacksonville history,” Allen said.
The star pass rusher is well on his way and will have a chance to secure his legacy after signing a five-year contract Wednesday that maxes out at $150 million and includes up to $88 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the negotiations said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because contract details were not released publicly.
Allen received a $32 million signing bonus, and his $2 million base salary in 2024 is fully guaranteed. He will only count $11 million against the team’s salary cap this season, freeing up $13 million that general manager Trent Baalke could use to sign quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a long-term deal.
The Jaguars placed their franchise tag on Allen in early March, guaranteeing him a one-year deal worth $24 million. But both sides wanted more and spent the past month hammering out details of what became the richest contract in franchise history.
Allen set a single-season franchise record with 17½ sacks in the final year of his rookie contract and is 10 shy of the team’s career mark (55) held by Tony Brackens (1996-2003).
“I got five more years to keep stacking and stacking and stacking,” Allen said. “And I’m excited about that. I’m excited for it, and whoever tries to come get my record, it’s going to be a really tall task. I’m going to make it very hard for them.”
Allen’s cap hit jumps to $39.4 million in 2025, with years of $29.4 million, $31.1 million and $31.9 million to follow.
The Jaguars released three defensive starters — cornerback Darious Williams, safety Rayshawn Jenkins and defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi — to create $20 million in space to sign Allen.
Allen has 45 sacks in 74 games spanning five seasons. The Virginia native and former Kentucky star was at his best in 2023, finishing with career highs in sacks, quarterback hits (33) and tackles (66). He started all 17 games for the second consecutive season and was voted to his second Pro Bowl.
“Josh is a true pro who has developed into one of the top producing defensive players at his position in the NFL and a cornerstone of our defense,” general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. “He is a leader on and off the field, and we are excited for Josh and his family, as well as our fanbase.”
Even with Allen paired with 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker for years to come, Jacksonville still needs depth at the position and will look to upgrade from backups rushers K’Lavon Chaisson and Dawuane Smoot in the upcoming draft.
Allen, meanwhile, has new goals after becoming the franchise’s third first-round draft pick drafted since 2008 to sign a second contract with the team. Quarterback Blake Bortles and defensive lineman Tyson Alualu are the others.
Allen wants to be voted the NFL’s defensive player of the year, win a Super Bowl and be the Super Bowl MVP.
“I’m a legacy guy,” he said. “And I’m not going to stop until I get that. That’s motivating me, and that’s bigger than money. If I can do that and bring the first (Super Bowl) to Jacksonville, man, that’s my goal.”
Antetokounmpo will
miss Bucks’ final three regular-season games
MILWAUKEE | Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the Milwaukee Bucks’ final three regular-season games after an MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis that the two-time MVP has a strained left calf.
The Bucks issued an update on Antetokounmpo’s status before Wednesday’s game with the Orlando Magic that didn’t make any predictions on his potential availability for the start of the playoffs. The release simply said that “Antetokounmpo will miss the remaining three games of the regular season and receive daily treatment and evaluation.”
The Bucks finish the regular season by visiting Oklahoma City on Friday and Orlando on Sunday. Their opening playoff game would take place either April 20 or April 21.
Antetokounmpo was heading up the court after a 3-point basket by Boston’s Derrick White late in the third quarter of the Bucks’ 104-91 victory Tuesday when the two-time MVP grabbed his left calf and took a seat on the floor. He eventually was helped off the court and was shown walking into the locker room under his own power.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard noted Tuesday night that he dealt with a similar injury last season while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard recalled that he came back from a calf injury after about eight or nine days, only to hurt his soleus. Lillard said he then ended up missing about two more weeks.
Antetokounmpo has dealt with injuries this time of year before, while showing an extraordinary ability to recover quickly.
During the Bucks’ 2020-21 championship season, Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee during the Eastern Conference finals. He missed the last two games of the Bucks’ 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Hawks but returned to play the entire NBA Finals and was named MVP of the series after scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 triumph over the Phoenix Suns.
Last year, Antetokounmpo bruised his lower back after getting fouled and landing hard in Game 1 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo sat out the rest of that game and also missed Milwaukee’s next two games before returning in Game 4 of a series the Bucks lost 4-1.
—From AP reports
