Michael Porter Jr. Uses Sophie Cunningham Relationship to Quell Heated WNBA Take
2023 NBA champion and current Brooklyn Nets player Michael Porter Jr. has made an enemy of the women's basketball community with some comments he has made over the past two years.
One example of this is when he said, "I know these females [WNBA players] want to get paid more, and they’re very talented. But so is a famous ping-pong player... That doesn’t mean that they’re going to get paid the same, because it’s what the people wanna watch. As much as I understand females wanting the same treatment as men basketball players, it's a different sport," on a January 2024 episode of The Pivot Podcast.
And Porter Jr. found himself in hot water by women's basketball fans after an August 29 stream of popular streamer plaqueboymax, where 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 summary, he was implying that his high school basketball team would beat a WNBA All-Star team.
Michael Porter Jr. References Sophie Cunningham Relationship to Address WNBA Takes
It seems that Porter Jr. wants to repent for what he has said in the past regarding women's basketball, or at least doesn't want women's basketball fans at his throat any longer.
And Porter Jr. decided to try to quell criticism about his comments by referencing Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham, which he did during a conversation with Brian Lewis of the New York Post for a September 23 article.
"I'm the biggest fan of the WNBA," Porter Jr. said after noting that he has two older sisters who used to beat him in basketball when he was younger, per an X post from Lewis.
Porter then noted that he "grew up with Sophie Cunningham." After saying they were raised in the same city (Columbia, Missouri), Porter added, "[Cunningham and I have] talked about being able to chop it up and talk on a podcast."
I asked Michael Porter Jr. if any #Liberty players challenged him to a debate. He said "I'm the biggest fan of the #WNBA." Adds he "grew up w/ Sophie Cunningham. We talked about being able to chop it up & talk on a podcast." Pretty sure MPJ & @sophaller would get views. #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) September 23, 2025
Cunningham already has her Show Me Something podcast. Therefore, if Cunningham did want to give Porter Jr. a platform, there is a clear avenue for her to do so.
Regardless of whether that podcast appearance occurs, it would be interesting to hear what Cunningham would have to say in response to everything surrounding Porter Jr.'s relationship with the WNBA community.
Recommended Reading:
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.
Follow GrvntYoung