Women's Fastbreak On SI

Michael Porter Jr.'s 'Crazy' Sophie Cunningham Story Gets Fact Checked

NBA player Michael Porter Jr. found yet another way to anger the WNBA community, this time with a Sophie Cunningham story.
Grant Young|
Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts against the Phoenix Mercury during an WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts against the Phoenix Mercury during an WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Current Brooklyn Nets player Michael Porter Jr. has made several comments in the past that have turned him into a villain in the eyes of many in the women's basketball community.

The most notorious example of this stemmed from Porter Jr.'s appearance on an August 29 stream of popular streamer plaqueboymax, when he said, "If the WNBA All-Star team, if the Olympic team played the McDonald's All-American high school players, it's one of them things, bro. You can't dance around it. In high school, when I was in high school... If we play the WNBA All-Star team, that, no disrespect, bro. No disrespect, bro. I'm not even gonna say it."

In other words, Porter Jr. was implying that his high school basketball team would beat a WNBA All-Star team, which did not sit well with fans (and rightfully so).

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) speaks at Media Day on September 23, 2025
Sep 23, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) speaks at Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Michael Porter Jr.'s Sophie Cunningham Competition Story Gets Called Out By Fans

Porter Jr. has used his relationship with Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham (the two grew up together and remain friends) to try to get some fans off his back in the past. However, Cunningham probably wouldn't appreciate an anecdote that Porter Jr. shared during his November 18 appearance on the Ball in the Family Podcast.

"I'm probably going with 8th grade because I have real experience doing this. I played my sisters. They played at The University of Missouri and I was still a young kid. They had me playing on the scout team and they had a few WNBA players on their team like, Sophie Cunningham and a couple others. I was in the 7th or 8th grade going crazy," Porter Jr. said on the podcast, per an X post from @Ballislife.

Porter Jr. is 27 years old, and Cunningham is 29. Therefore, this timeline doesn't seem to make sense. And this is seemingly confirmed by the fact that Cunningham's freshman season at Missouri was 2015-16. Porter Jr. was a sophomore in high school (which is 10th grade) in 2015. Therefore, his comments would be off by at least two years.

Not only do fans feel like Porter Jr. is trying to diminish women's basketball players once again by sharing this story regarding Cunningham, but they're also noting how he presumably got his facts wrong.

"Sophie Cunningham is 29 and he's 27. Story isn't adding up," wrote @bonjee_14.

"MPJ was 16-17 years old when Sophie started college. He was a junior in high school

"What is he talking about, pt. 125," added @HunterCruse14.

"how was Sophie in the wnba or even college when you were in the eighth grade if she’s 2 years older than you," wrote @oceanaudria.

Talia Goodman of On3 Sports added, "The math isn’t mathing here.

"Michael Porter Jr. is 27 years old.
"Sophie Cunningham is 29 years old."

@Dread_Botlord wrote, "MPJ is all of two years younger than Sophie Cunningham so beyond being full of s*** he’s just lying in an easily disprovable way".

"isn't sophie cunningham two years older than him? how was she a college student?" wrote @apsamar_5.

"Michael Porter Jr is 2 years younger than Sophie Cunningham. So unless she was on Missouri as a 15 y/o, this is 100% a lie. Also, his sisters are only 2-3 years older than him...so he would've been a junior in HS when the closest of his two older sisters went to Mizzou," added @_DannySmyth.

"Porter graduated from High School in 2017.

"Cunningham graduated from High School in 2015," said @CheckAnfro.

"Sophie Cunningham is 29, Michael Porter Jr. is 27.

"Sophie Cunningham’s freshman year at Mizzou was 15-16 so unless MPJ was 16 in 8th Grade, this is a blatant lie," wrote @DMacWake316.

"Sophie Cunningham is 22 months older than MPJ, how is this possible?" added @primetimesc2.

Porter Jr. probably should have kept these comments to himself.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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