Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Getty
Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets looks on against the Los Angeles Clippers.
New Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. shocked the NBA community on August 11 with comments about his personal addictions and vices, besides discussing the legal trouble faced by his younger brother, Jontay Porter, who was banned from the league after being accused of gambling on games.
Addressing the topic of vices on his YouTube channel, MPJ did not hold back.
“Everybody struggles with something,” said the former Denver Nuggets forward.
“For some, it’s alcohol. For others, it’s drugs. My brother, for example, struggled with gambling. My own vice has always been women,” added the sharpshooter.
MPJ’s Faith in God
The 2023 NBA champion spoke further about how his belief in God was the only way for him to overcome his vices and become a better human.
“When I’m far from God, when I’m not reading the Word, not praying, not prioritizing Him, that’s where the devil seems to get me,” he admitted.
“And I know a lot of people in my position, with my lifestyle, deal with the same thing. I’ve never seen it as okay, though. I don’t think objectifying women or sleeping around is cool. I haven’t necessarily been doing that, but women have always been my weakness. I’ve got two younger brothers and two older sisters who are all married. I’m the only one who isn’t, and I believe God gives you what you’re ready to handle.”
Michael Porter Jr. went as far as to admit that he was not in the right mental space to enter a healthy and committed relationship with a woman.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’m ready to handle a good woman right now because I’m still all over the place — sometimes I’m walking with God, sometimes I’m not,” he said. “That inconsistency has kept me from locking in and living the Christian walk in that part of my life.”
Brother’s Legal Issues
Porter Jr. spoke further about his brother’s gambling issues.
“My brother Jonte never struggled with women, but he did with gambling,” he said. “I never struggled with gambling, and maybe that’s why God blessed me with money, because He knew I could handle it. Jonte, on the other hand, wasn’t blessed with a lot of money because maybe God knew he couldn’t handle that temptation.”
“In the same way, I think I haven’t been blessed with a wife because I’m not yet ready to handle that responsibility given my struggles. I just wanted to get that off my chest.”
MPJ’s younger brother was hit with a lifetime ban from the NBA during the 2023-24 season after he was found guilty of betting on league games and scheming on prop bets. A member of the Toronto Raptors at the time, Porter became the first active player to be banned for gambling since Jack Molinas in 1954, as well as the first to be permanently banned without any means to return since Richard Dumas in 1996.
According to the NBA, Porter placed at least 13 bets on games using an associate’s online betting account. The prop bets reportedly ranged from $15 to $22,000, and the total payout from the bets was $ $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965.