close
close
Local

Coban Porter sentenced to 6 years in prison for fatal drunk driving crash same week as brother Jontay banned from NBA

Coban Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., was sentenced Friday to six years in prison for killing a woman in a drunken driving accident, according to the Denver Post.

The sentence came just two days after Jontay Porter, Coban and Michael's other brother, was banned for life from the NBA for his role in a gambling scheme.

The accident that led to Coban's incarceration occurred early in the morning of January 22, 2023, with an arrest later that day. The 22-year-old man was allegedly driving drunk shortly before 2 a.m. when he ran a red light and crashed into a vehicle driven by Kathy Limon Rothman. Rothman, 42, was killed and a passenger in her vehicle was seriously injured.

Prosecutors reportedly said Porter was driving 50 mph in a 30 zone with a blood alcohol content of 0.19. Rothman, who had a young son, was driving for Uber at the time.

Porter pleaded guilty in February to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, apparently on the condition that he receive a maximum prison term of eight years. He faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted at trial.

Excerpt from the message:

“All I can really say is I’m sorry,” Porter said Friday in a Denver courtroom. “I know I can never right this wrong…I never thought I would be here.” I thought I was invincible. This wasn't the first time I chose to drink and drive…I'm so sorry.

Connie Johnson, Rothman's mother, reportedly said in court Friday that her life also ended in the crash:

“This pain and trauma became my worst reality,” she said. “…Every part of my life that brings joy and happiness is met with the anguish of its absence. … Her choice caused my grandson to grow up without a mother. I widowed my son-in-law and my husband and I lost a child.

Before the accident, Porter was a guard for the University of Denver basketball team. He averaged 11.4 points per game during his rookie year in 2021-22, making him the latest in a string of players from a prominent basketball family.

GRAND FORKS, ND - FEBRUARY 03: Denver Pioneers guard Coban Porter (5) drives to the basket guarded by North Dakota Fighting Hawks guard Paul Bruns (23) and North Dakota Fighting Hawks forward Brian Mathews (34) during the Summit League men's basketball contest between the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the Denver Pioneers on February 3, 2022, at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, ND.  (Photo by Jacob Kish/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Coban Porter reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.19 when he caused the fatal crash that killed Kathy Rothman. (Photo by Jacob Kish/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Sportswire Icon via Getty Images)

Bri and Cierra Porter, Coban's older sisters, were the first members of the family to play college basketball at Missouri, where their father, Michael Sr., worked as an assistant coach for the men's team. Michael Jr. was a top rookie who was destined for stardom for the Tigers, but ultimately only played three games due to a back injury before finding success in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets.

Jontay also played for Missouri and reached the NBA as an undrafted player. He spent most of his professional career in the G League before finding a bench position with the Toronto Raptors this season.

Jontay became infamous Wednesday when an NBA investigation ruled that he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in games for betting purposes and bet on NBA games.

The most infamous examples of Porter's violations were remarkably obvious. DraftKings noticed that in two days, the two biggest winning bets were on Porter, a player who rarely saw bets. In those games, Porter left the field early citing injury and then illness.

With one brother banned from the NBA and another sent to prison, Michael Jr. is expected to start the Nuggets' title defense Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Related Articles

Back to top button