Michael Porter Jr. has never been shy about expressing his opinions. However, his willingness to speak freely came back to haunt him way back in 2024, when he compared the WNBA and its players to professional ping-pong players.
Speaking on the Pivot Podcast, Porter Jr. responded to WNBA players calling for a pay raise by comparing their popularity to that of ping-pong players, while also suggesting the league lower its rims for more exciting games. His comments were interpreted by many, including WNBA players, as dismissive of women’s basketball’s talent and competitiveness, especially at a time when the league was beginning to attract unprecedented attention.
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One of the players who called out Porter Jr. was veteran Lexie Brown, who criticized him for commenting on the sport without even watching it.
Two years later, both discussed the controversy on his podcast, “Curious Mike,” with the Brooklyn Nets star directly apologizing to Brown and claiming that he is a fan of women’s basketball, contrary to what his comments made him appear.
“I want to start this interview out actually by just kind of, in my own way, apologizing for the way that I have come off not only to you, but I feel like rubbed even other WNBA players the wrong way,” he said.
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“I have my opinions, and when people ask me questions, I do speak my mind, but I’m not always mindful of how that can come off,” Porter added.
MPJ’s knows he crossed a line
The 2024 controversy wasn’t the only time Porter received backlash for his views on women’s basketball. In the following year, he implied during a Twitch live stream that a McDonald’s All-American boys’ team would dominate the women’s Olympics team or the WNBA’s All-Star team.
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It is understandable why Porter Jr. would be labeled a harsh critic of the WNBA. After all, his comments are just one of many by other former players and analysts that have polluted the discussion around women’s basketball for years.
However, he wants everyone to know that he loves the WNBA and that his previous comments did not reflect his views toward the women’s side of the sport or its players, pointing to his upbringing in a household that featured his mother and two sisters, who all played college basketball for Iowa and Missouri, respectively.
“I feel like for you guys, when you saw my comments or whatever, I feel like y’all might have took it the wrong way,” he said. “In real life, I’m overly supportive of women.”
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“My mom was one of the best basketball players, like whenever people ask who in your family really started the basketball thing, it was my mom. My sisters played so, I’m overly with y’all and what y’all do,” he continued.
Following his comments last year, he also addressed the controversy during his first media day in Brooklyn by stating his family ties to the women’s side of basketball and his childhood friendship with Sophie Cunningham, who defended him, saying his comments were taken out of context.
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An education on women’s basketball
Despite how many fans perceive Porter Jr. based on his past comments, he is sincere in his apology and was actually open to discussing with Brown why his comments rubbed players the wrong way.
His openness and apology don’t excuse his comments by any means. However, it does explain why he was compelled to clarify that his remarks weren’t representative of how he actually feels about the WNBA or women’s basketball in general.
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As the WNBA grows, many more will express their slanted views. Porter Jr. is just one of the few who said these controversial takes but actually took the time to understand why these discussions miss the true point of women’s basketball.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
