Michael Porter Jr. is brazenly showing his truest, most awful colors

The Denver Nuggets' accomplishments over the last half-decade-plus could comprise a laundry list.

They remain the Western Conference's winningest team in that same span. They have, at least so far, one championship notch in their belt. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokić has established himself as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Denver, in total, has won so many big games and enjoyed so many iconic moments that it feels impossible to count.

But the Nuggets' on-court success is only one part of this equation.

That's because we probably don't give them enough credit for keeping contentious former forward Michael Porter Jr. on a short leash. After seeing how the ex-Nugget has shamelessly spouted off in public lately, keeping this version of Porter (somewhat) under wraps might be Denver's most underrated achievement.

In a podcast with the right-wing provocateur "Nelk Boys," Porter let it all hang out. He showed that he clearly speaks before he thinks. That's a huge problem.

The now-Brooklyn Net concocted a "hypothetical" sports betting scenario that sounded eerily similar to what happened with his brother, Jontay. For most logical people, being this conveniently candid out in the open about the ethical dangers of sports gambling when someone close to you is serving the first NBA gambling ban in seven decades would be a non-starter. Porter is not most people. His mind seems to be void of logic entirely.

Porter didn't stop stepping on rakes.

While describing his relationship with women, Porter went with the "I'm not a misogynist BUT" route. He said he doesn't hate women (an, uh, interesting way to start a conversation) but likes to "test" prospective romantic partners by playing them clips of alleged sex trafficker and rapist Andrew Tate, just to see "how they'll react." That, to be sure, is only the tip of the iceberg with a cowardly snake like Tate, who, among other things, exploits impressionable and vulnerable young men into embracing the most toxic versions of themselves. Porter invoked Tate in this fashion while also claiming that "girls today want to live like queens and do nothing" when describing what he wants out of a partner.

Mhmm. Sure. Uh-huh.

Porter may as well be wearing a "I'm not a misogynist" shirt while proclaiming that his shirt already answers any ensuing questions.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that we've already known who Porter really was for a while.

In February 2024, Porter advocated for women's basketball by suggesting that more WNBA stars should have their own signature shoes. He later turned around and dismissed the WNBA's rise amid the equal pay conversation, seemingly without a second thought. He couldn't have been more two-faced if he wanted to be. In July 2020, Porter posted a Snapchat story about a "bigger agenda" concerning "population control" during the early throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. I won't even begin to describe how dangerous it is to express something like that laughable notion.

But there was something different about that more muted version of Porter in Denver and the one who now plays for one of the NBA's worst teams. In Denver, there was the pressure of winning. There was a built-in culture of placing a premium on the basketball being played. No matter your opinions on the outside world, if you let something slip that would clearly be a distraction with these Nuggets, they would quickly rein you in.

That's no longer the case with the Nets. Porter is completely untethered.

No one expects to win in Brooklyn. Shoot, I'm not sure anyone wants to win in Brooklyn right now. This creates an unfortunate dynamic where Porter can become a shameless gunner on the court, aiming for the empty box score statistics he claims Jokić and Jamal Murray never let him have, while firing off harmful conspiracy theories and flagrant nonsense to any drooling doofus who invites him onto their podcast in his downtime.

Much to the chagrin of the rest of us, I'm sure that this, on some level, has always been Porter's real dream.

I'm not naive. I won't pretend Porter is the only hyper-rich athlete in their own bubble who doesn't think critically (or at all) about the outside world. At a certain point, part of following sports in any sense means you will compartmentalize. People are complicated and, in the most charitable interpretation of a nincompoop like Porter, flawed. You do, in fact, sometimes separate the art from the artist. None of this would be sustainable if you didn't.

None of us would still be here. Full stop.

But that doesn't mean we stop calling a spade a spade. In this case, Michael Porter Jr. is finally showing his true, ugliest colors. None of us should like what we see. People like Porter are allowed to hold and share their opinions in the same way we're allowed to criticize them for revealing those thoughts.

And the next time he opens his mouth to spew unfiltered bile, none of us can let him off the hook.

Shootaround

• Meg Hall outlined 6 of the spiciest WNBA storylines with the playoffs looming. Are the Aces about to play spoiler?
• Why did Giannis Antetokounmpo slap a Greek national teammate? My guy Prince Grimes investigated.
• Thanks to NBA 2K's WNBA integration, Caitlin Clark can DUNK ON LEBRON JAMES. How wonderful. Cory Woodroof explains.
• Dennis Schröder is a big fan of how Nikola Jokić approaches his life.

This was Layup Lines, For the Win's basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Michael Porter Jr. keeps making problematic podcast comments after leaving Nuggets