The Hardest Falls from Grace in Professional Basketball

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NBA stars have it all, but some throw it away.

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18 former NBA players are charged with defrauding the league.

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These are players who ruined their careers. And first, John Tate Porter had the potential to make millions, but instead, bet it all away. See, after tearing his ACL twice in college, the draft was nothing more than a dream, but the Memphis Grizzlies still took a chance on him, adding him as a free agent on the roster. Now, the second chance would be short-lived, because after his second year, he was bounced out the league. But unlike some, he got a third shot to revive his career, because in 2023, the Raptors offered him a two-way contract worth $550,000, which turned out to be exactly what he needed, because he was hooping, and his numbers were looking real good. But on the 22nd of January 2024, against the Grizzlies, Jontay Porter put everything on the line, because he left the game after only four minutes. And on the 26th of January, against the Clippers, he doubled down when he left the game with an eye injury after only playing for a few minutes. But the next day, things got a whole lot weirder, because Draft King sent out an email congratulating the night's biggest winner, Jontay Porter. Now somehow, he slipped under the radar, but this had his mouth watering. So on the 20th of March, against the Sacramento Kings, someone placed a six-play parlay on Porter's under for 80 grand, with a payout of $1.1 million.
Now Jontay's rebound line was set at five, and by the first quarter, he already had three. And what do you know? At the end of the period, he left the game with another eye injury. Now this had the NBA investigating, where they found out Porter leads confidential info about his health to a known better, and the 80k bet was part of a bigger scheme with four others. I mean, Dude was even mad when he hit a three. Who's a strong defender.

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Porter, the three.

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It's good. That's a rampage. And if that wasn't bad enough, Commissioner Adam Silver hit Jontay Porter with a lifetime ban from the NBA. But that wasn't all, because he also pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and is now facing serious time. But Josh Primo was even dumber, because he went from being the future to shoving his ding-a-ling in people's faces. See, in 2021, the San Antonio Spurs had just selected him with the 12th overall pick in the draft. He had all the tools, a 6'6 frame, smooth shooting stroke, and a potential to be a two-way menace. But then, just a year later, his story took a dark turn. Because out of nowhere, Josh was waved by San Antonio after accusations surfaced from his team's former psychologist. Allegedly, Primo whipped out his ding-a-ling five times over the course of several months. Dawg, what the hell? The news hit like a bombshell, and the Spurs wasted no time dropping him. Now Primo released a statement claiming he was seeking help to deal with past trauma and needed to focus on his mental health. But just weeks later, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation, and Josh was hit with indecent exposure charges. With that on his record, he was facing up to 180 days in jail. But after nearly a year, the Clippers picked up his contract, and Primo agreed to consult with mental health specialists. Now, the signing came on the same day he was handed a four-game suspension, so fans were outraged. They couldn't believe Primo was getting another shot after everything he'd done. Despite everything, the district attorney's office decided there wasn't enough evidence to move forward with the case. But that didn't change the fact that his career was over. All those millions lost just because he couldn't keep his hands out his pants. But this next player didn't just lose his NBA career, because by 2010, Lamar Odom was living the dream, winning back-to-back championships with the Lakers, sixth man of the year award, and putting a ring on Khloe Kardashian. He was riding high as one of the league's most versatile stars. But in 2011, after getting swept in the most humiliating way possible, things would quickly change. Because after being in LA for six years and earning the name as the best player on the bench, he thought his spot was locked up for the next season. But the trade saga for Chris Paul had the Lakers willing to do anything to make it happen. Next thing you know, Lamar was part of one of the most infamous trade dramas ever. And Lamar took this as a sign of disrespect, so he demanded a trade himself. But sometimes, things off the court also have an impact on you as a player, cuz his 24-year-old cousin was murdered in New York. He was so shaken, he considered stepping away from basketball altogether. But as time went on, Lamar tried to hide the pain after relocating to Dallas, but his relationship with Mark Cuban quickly turned sour.