.jpg) Porter with theDenver Nuggets in 2020 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 17 – Brooklyn Nets | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1998-06-29)June 29, 1998 (age 27) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | |||||||||||||||
| College | Missouri (2017–2018) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2018: 1st round, 14th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2018–2025 | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Brooklyn Nets | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Michael Lamar Porter Jr. (born June 29, 1998), also known as "MPJ", is an American professionalbasketball player for theBrooklyn Nets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theMissouri Tigers. Porter was ranked as one of the top prospects in the class of 2017.[1][2][3] He was selected 14th overall by theDenver Nuggets in the2018 NBA draft, winning his only NBA championship with them in2023.
Porter attendedFather Tolton Regional Catholic High School inColumbia, Missouri, before transferring toNathan Hale High School inSeattle, Washington, for his senior year. His father, Michael Porter Sr., was hired by theUniversity of Washington to be an assistant coach; former NBA playerBrandon Roy was the coach of Nathan Hale's basketball team.[4][5]
In Porter's junior season at Father Tolton, he led the team to the 3A State Championship.[6] In the 2016 summer, Porter joined Mokan Elite on theNike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) averaging 26.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game leading them to the Nike EYBL Peach Jam championship and was named Co-MVP alongside teammate and future NBA playerTrae Young.[7]
In his senior season, Porter averaged 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds as he helped his high school team earn a perfect 29–0 record and win the Washington Class 3A State Championship.[8] He recorded 52 points and 23 rebounds in a blowout victory overSeattle Prep on senior night.[9] Porter was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as one of the top overall recruits in his class byRivals.com andESPN.[3][2]
On March 29, 2017, Porter was named MVP at theMcDonald's All-American Game leading the West in a 109–107 win over the East team.[10] Porter also participated in the 2017Nike Hoop Summit, leading Team USA to a 98–87 victory over the World Select Team with 19 points in 23 minutes of play.[11]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Porter Jr. SF | Columbia, MO | Nathan Hale High School (WA) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Mar 24, 2017 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (97) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 2 Rivals: 1 ESPN: 2 | ||||||
Sources: | ||||||
In July 2016, Porter originally committed to Washington.[12] AfterLorenzo Romar was fired as Washington's head coach, Porter Sr. was hired as an assistant coach for theUniversity of Missouri. Porter Jr. later decommitted from Washington.[13]
On March 24, 2017, Porter committed to play for Missouri, joining his father and his younger brother,Jontay Porter (whoreclassified from the class of 2018).[14]
Porter was injured in the first half of the season opener against Iowa State. Porter was expected to miss the remainder of the 2017–18 season because of a lower back injury which required surgery.[15] On November 22, 2017, Porter had a successful microdiscectomy of his L3-L4 spinal discs.[16] On February 22, 2018, Porter Jr. was cleared to practice with Missouri again, with the potential to return to play before the end of the season.NBA executives were encouraging him to play if he was feeling healthy enough to do so.[17]
Porter would officially return to action on March 8, 2018, in the quarterfinals of theSEC tournament.[18] Porter would also play in the first round of the2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where the team lost toFlorida State. In both games, however, Porter came off the bench to play instead of starting as he had on opening night, mainly as a precaution. On March 27, Porter announced his intention to forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and declared for the2018 NBA draft.[19]
Porter was selected with the 14th overall pick by theDenver Nuggets in the2018 NBA draft.[20] He fell from a possible first overall pick to the 14th pick with the Nuggets due to reports regarding his health.[21] The Nuggets also discussed the possibility of having him sit out for his entire first season in the NBA in relation to his back problems.[22] On July 3, 2018, Porter signed a multi-year contract with the Nuggets.[23] On July 19, 2018, the Nuggets announced that Porter had undergone a second back surgery[24] and subsequently missed the entire season.
On October 31, 2019, Porter made his debut in the NBA, coming off the bench with fifteen points, four rebounds, and an assist in a 107–122 loss to theNew Orleans Pelicans.[25] On December 29, he made his first career start in the NBA, finishing with 19 points, along with six rebounds and an assist in 26 minutes in a 120–115 win over theSacramento Kings.[26] He set a new career high with 25 points in 23 minutes just four days later in a win against theIndiana Pacers.[27] On August 4, 2020, returning from the suspension of the season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Porter Jr. led the Nuggets to their first victory in theOrlando bubble, scoring a then career-high 37 points in route to a 121–113 overtime win overOklahoma City Thunder.[28]
On April 24, 2021, Porter scored a career-high 39 points in a 129–116 win over theHouston Rockets.[29]
On September 27, 2021, Porter and the Denver Nuggets agreed to a 5-year, $172 millionrookie extension that will become $207 million if Porter is selected to anAll-NBA Team.[30] He was expected to be the secondary scoring option behindNikola Jokić whileJamal Murray continued to recover from a torn ACL.[31] On November 29, 2021, having appeared in only 9 games, Porter's agent Mark Bartelstein announced Porter would miss the remainder of the2021–22 NBA season as he would be undergoing a third back surgery.[32]
In Game 5 of the2023 NBA Finals, Porter put up 16 points and 13 rebounds in a 94–89 win over theMiami Heat to help the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in franchise history.[33]
On March 21, 2024, Porter put up 31 points along with his 193rd made three-pointer of the season, surpassing the previous record of 192 set byDale Ellis for the most made three-pointers in a season in Nuggets franchise history.[34]
On November 10, 2024, Porter scored 17 points and hit the game-winning jumper in a 122–120 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.[35]
On February 3, 2025, Porter had 36 points in a 125–113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[36] On February 5, Porter put up a career-high-tying 39 points, alongside 12 rebounds, in a 144–119 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[37] The next day, Porter scored 30 points in 112–90 win over theOrlando Magic. He became the first player in Nuggets history to record three straight games of 30+ points and 5+ three-pointers.[38]
On July 8, 2025, Porter and a 2032 first-round draft pick were traded to theBrooklyn Nets in exchange forCameron Johnson.[39]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Denver | 55 | 8 | 16.4 | .509 | .422 | .833 | 4.7 | .8 | .5 | .5 | 9.3 |
| 2020–21 | Denver | 61 | 54 | 31.3 | .542 | .445 | .791 | 7.3 | 1.1 | .7 | .9 | 19.0 |
| 2021–22 | Denver | 9 | 9 | 29.5 | .359 | .208 | .556 | 6.6 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .2 | 9.9 |
| 2022–23† | Denver | 62 | 62 | 29.0 | .487 | .414 | .800 | 5.5 | 1.0 | .6 | .5 | 17.4 |
| 2023–24 | Denver | 81 | 81 | 31.7 | .484 | .397 | .836 | 7.0 | 1.5 | .5 | .7 | 16.7 |
| 2024–25 | Denver | 77 | 77 | 33.7 | .504 | .395 | .768 | 7.0 | 2.1 | .6 | .5 | 18.2 |
| Career | 345 | 291 | 29.1 | .500 | .406 | .795 | 6.4 | 1.4 | .6 | .6 | 16.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Denver | 19 | 3 | 23.7 | .476 | .382 | .743 | 6.7 | .8 | .7 | .3 | 11.4 |
| 2021 | Denver | 10 | 10 | 33.2 | .474 | .397 | .810 | 6.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | .3 | 17.4 |
| 2023† | Denver | 20 | 20 | 32.6 | .423 | .351 | .793 | 8.1 | 1.6 | .5 | .6 | 13.4 |
| 2024 | Denver | 12 | 12 | 36.9 | .466 | .407 | .769 | 6.8 | 1.1 | .9 | .8 | 15.8 |
| 2025 | Denver | 14 | 14 | 31.1 | .392 | .343 | .714 | 5.5 | .6 | .6 | .4 | 9.1 |
| Career | 75 | 59 | 30.9 | .446 | .374 | .768 | 6.8 | 1.1 | .7 | .5 | 13.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Missouri | 3 | 1 | 17.7 | .333 | .300 | .778 | 6.7 | .3 | 1.0 | .3 | 10.0 |
Porter is a Christian.[40] He grew up as avegetarian. In 2018, he changed his diet toraw vegan.[41] As of 2020, Porter is no longer vegetarian or vegan.[42]
In addition to younger brotherJontay, he has two older sisters named Bri and Cierra, along with four younger siblings.[43] In April 2024, his younger brother Coban was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a woman while driving under the influence of alcohol.[44] Also in April 2024, another younger brother of Porter, Jevon, was arrested in Missouri on suspicion ofDWI.[45] All three of Porter's brothers also played basketball on at least a collegiate level as well, with Jontay playing with Michael in Missouri during his freshman season, Coban previously playing in theUniversity of Denver,[46] and Jevon currently playing for theUniversity of Missouri, after previously playing forLoyola Marymount University andPepperdine University.[47]
In 2017, Porter dated actress and modelMadison Pettis.[48]
On September 10, 2023, while visiting Taiwan, Porter threw out the first pitch at aCTBC Brothers game.[49]
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote · Basketball Reference 
