Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. torched the fantasy that WNBA players could cross the border and compete in men’s basketball.
MPJ isn’t afraid to stir the pot, saying WNBA players can’t compete with men.
Porter’s blunt view, shared on Lonzo Ball’s podcast “Ball in the Family,” has already prompted the Nets to warn him against speaking too freely.
During the conversation, Porter recalled how, as an elementary school kid, he practiced against his sisters who played in college and against WNBA pros like Sophie Cunningham.
READ: NBA Star Michael Porter, Jr. Gets Serious About His Brother Jontay Porter’s Gambling Problems
“I’m probably going to 8th grade because I have some real experience at it. I played against my sisters. They played at the University of Missouri and I was still a young kid. They had me play on the scout team, and they had a few WNBA players on their team, like Sophie Cunningham and a few others. I was in 7th or 8th grade and I was going crazy,” Porter said.
TORONTO, CANADA – OCTOBER 17: Michael Porter Jr. #17 of the Brooklyn Nets smiles before the game against the Toronto Raptors on October 17, 2025 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 05: Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever looks on during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena on August 05, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Critics quickly pounced on MPJ, questioning the timing of his match against Cunningham. But the core of his message remained, no matter how hard the Bluesky people tried to twist it: Even high school kids could probably be the best players in the WNBA.
Lonzo Ball agreed.
“I say this as respectfully as possible, but 9th-year WNBA Lonzo Ball is going crazy,” Zo said, speaking in the third person.
“In 9th grade, I was over 6 feet tall and I did a dunk. I cross the lane. No girl in the WNBA does that. I go from behind, throw up, looking like Jordan over there.”
For Porter, the difference is simple and undeniable. “It’s just a difference, and I wish it would stop being a conversation because it should be common sense. I appreciate common sense. I feel like sometimes we’re losing it a little bit,” Porter said.
No one is asking men to invade the WNBA, but some still argue that the best women could hang on in the NBA.
Porter and Ball countered, saying men’s size, speed, strength and explosiveness create a gap that no amount of skill can close.
BROOKLYN, NY – OCTOBER 24: Michael Porter Jr. #17 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 24, 2025 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
The comments sparked outrage among activists who insist WNBA stars could compete with men.
Even the Brooklyn Nets, the same team that suspended Kyrie Irving over social media and vaccine issues, advised Porter to avoid the topic.
“Being on the Internet for anything other than basketball, I feel like it’s a summer thing. But no, definitely, even the organization, we’ve had conversations, they would appreciate it if I stayed away from certain topics, you know what I mean? That’s why the WNBA is such a sensitive topic these days. So I try to be aware of that,” MPJ said.
Porter also stood by an earlier claim that his high school’s McDonald’s All-American team could compete against the WNBA All-Stars, and he doesn’t think that idea is far-fetched.
“If the WNBA All-Star team or the Olympic team played the McDonald’s All-Americans in high school, that’s one of those things, bro. You can’t dance around that. In high school, when I was in high school…if we played the WNBA All-American team, that, no disrespect, bro. No disrespect. I’m not even going to say it,” Porter previously said.
Even though controversy follows Porter, he maintains his respect for the WNBA and its athletes. He simply refuses to pretend that the best athletes in the WNBA could survive, much less thrive, against the men in the NBA.
Take this, Pat Beverley.
Critics call this sexism. Reality calls it science.
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