Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. has said some pretty wild things over the years. And to be clear, wild in his case usually means questionable. This is the same Porter who once claimed that Lonzo Ball could have beaten WNBA players when he was in ninth grade.
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And while he has occasionally spoken up for women, saying shoe companies should make signature sneakers for WNBA players, Porter has also pushed back against the idea of equal pay in basketball.
If you thought this was a strange pipeline he finds himself in, buckle up. Because once you dial back time a bit, you can hear Porter talk about testing women and their belief systems by playing them audios of the controversial social media personality, Andrew Tate. You could argue that this should be a crime in a few states. And now, after all that, the Nets have reportedly told him to cool it.
Even Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, who’s no stranger to controversies himself, has recently stated that Porter has been on a crazy run on his podcast.
“He did everything from talking about his old team to bringing a couple of guys’ baby mamas on his platform. He talked about his dating and how he made the girl pay the rent,” Green said on his podcast, adding that it was nice to see his personality.
“Unfortunately, for Michael Porter Jr., I think the Nets have kind of put a chill to some of the things he can say,” Green noted. The four-time NBA champion then joked that after Porter left Denver, he kind of went off the rails, until the Nets gave him a phone call.
“I think, if anything, MPJ, you probably created yourself a lane when you’re done. ‘Raunchy S*x Television — Michael Porter Jr. is going to run the field. So I will be looking forward to hearing what else he has to say,” Green continued, adding that he was surprised the Nets let things slide for as long as they did.
On the internet, Porter has naturally been on the receiving end of criticism from fans who believe he is saying just about anything to farm engagement. Even WNBA star Sophie Cunningham reacted to the small forward’s remarks about NBA players at 15 being able to defeat WNBA teams.
“If you are a professional football player, basketball player, really any sport … If you’re in that elite level group, yeah, you should be able to beat the girls … I’m not surprised by that. I just don’t get why it’s continuing to get brought up,” Cunningham said on her podcast.
It would be foolish to believe Porter didn’t expect some level of backlash to his remarks, but it appears he has also been taken aback by the Nets stepping in. That said, given the pipeline he finds himself in, it is unlikely Porter will have trouble finding a platform to speak on again.
