NBA standout and 2023 champion Michael Porter Jr. has been in hot water for comments he made about the WNBA in the past.
The most notorious example of this came during Porter’s appearance on a January 2024 episode of The Pivot Podcast, where 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. Like, the best ping pong player is just as talented as the best NBA 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,” Porter continued. “They’re not packing out the arenas, obviously, their TV deals aren’t the same. So as much as I advocate for women and kind of the equality of the respect of their craft, and all those things, I mean, you can’t pay them the same thing. But I do feel like there should be a little way to make a little bit more money because they are very talented.”
this wasn’t advocating for women’s hoops at all smh it’s actually insulting https://t.co/bwbJDLixIe pic.twitter.com/NArMYhzTvJ
— alexis (@alexisfromvegas) February 3, 2024
Porter received a lot of criticism for these comments from both the men’s and women’s basketball community. However, this didn’t keep him from making more controversial claims.
Michael Porter Jr. Suggests WNBA All-Stars Would Lose to McDonald’s All-Americans
Porter appeared on an August 29 stream of popular streamer plaqueboymax. At one point in the live stream, Porter felt compelled to make another claim about the WNBA’s talent, and how it compares to male basketball players.
“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,” Porter said. “In high school, when I was in high school, we were grown men, pretty much… If we play the WNBA All-Star team, that, no disrespect, bro. No disrespect, bro. I’m not even gonna say it.”
Apr 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) reacts before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
While Porter didn’t finish his thought outright, he’s clearly suggesting that this McDonald’s All-American team would beat the WNBA All-Stars.
It’s worth noting that Porter is specifically saying the McDonald’s All-American team, which is essentially the best high school players in the country each season. Still, though, it’s easy to see why the WNBA players or women’s basketball fans would see this sentiment as disrespectful.
Michael Porter Jr says a boys high school basketball team would beat the WNBA All-Stars 😠pic.twitter.com/wANZtQh0Ie
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) August 31, 2025
And given that the aforementioned X post has over 1.5 million views in six hours, there’s a good chance that a WNBA All-Star is going to hear what he said.
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