5x WNBA All-Star Tears Michael Porter Jr. to Shreds After Latest Jab

Michael Porter Jr. has faced backlash for several remarks he has made on podcasts, the latest being his claim that his eighth-grade self could beat WNBA players. And a former five-time WNBA All-Star didn’t hold back in criticizing him for it.

Porter said on the “Ball in the Family” podcast that he had real experience going up against top-tier women’s players, recalling matchups with his sisters from the University of Missouri and mentioning that he was used on the scout team against Sophie Cunningham and others who eventually reached the WNBA.

Angel McCoughtry, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 WNBA draft who played 13 seasons in the league, blasted Porter Jr., pointing out that NBA players sit out games for minor issues while WNBA athletes deserve recognition for managing far tougher challenges — including playing while on their period, returning to play after childbirth and balancing family responsibilities.

“I gotta come and drop 40 and I’m on my f**king period — you know, bleeding, and my stomach hurts and my back hurts — when y’all load-manage off a headache,” she said.

“Let’s talk about how awesome that is. Let’s talk about how awesome it is that women have these babies and we come back and still dominate sports. … Yeah, you can dunk. A lot of us can’t do that. But the awesome things we can do, let’s highlight that. Let’s highlight that.”

McCoughtry added that true NBA greats — like the late Kobe Bryant and LeBron James — don’t speak the way Porter Jr. has about women’s basketball, and she invited the Brooklyn Nets swingman to train with women players to see firsthand how hard they work.

Sophie Cunningham responds to Michael Porter Jr.’s comments

Sophie Cunningham, whom Michael Porter Jr. mentioned by name and who also starred at the University of Missouri, offered a more tempered reaction, saying his claim was probably accurate.

“I mean, it’s probably true,” Cunningham said (per ClutchPoints). “I don’t want to be like unrealistic or delusional, like men are just stronger, bigger, athletic. Like they just are a different build. And if so, if you put them up against females, well, yeah, they’re going to win, duh.

“If you are a professional football player, basketball player, really any sport. But let’s just take it basketball because that’s where we’re both at. Like to me, if you’re in that elite level group, yeah, you should be able to beat the girls.”

Porter Jr. recently said the Brooklyn Nets front office has advised him to “steer clear” of certain topics during his podcast appearances.

Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro