Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. Dragged On X For Heada*s Comments About WNBA Hoopers & Pay Equity
Source: Brendall O’Banon/Clarkson Creative / Getty / Michael Porter Jr.
Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. once again let his mouth get him in trouble.
The NBA small forward hopped on The Pivot Podcast hosted by Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor, and Ryan Clark and dropped a head-scratching narrative about the WNBA that has him getting dunked on by X users.
The topic of pay equity arose during the episode after Crowder asked Porter Jr. “You have strong ties to women’s Hoops, we mentioned it earlier, and you just recently resigned or signed a new deal with Puma, right? I saw you rocking the Stewie twos. Breanna Stewart, her kicks, um… have you been outspoken about the pay the wages in the WNBA and for those ladies?
Porter Jr.’s answer was as ridiculous as you can imagine.
“I know these females 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 basketball player. That doesn’t mean that they’re going to get paid the same because it’s what the people wanna watch,” Porter Jr. said in response to Crowder’s question.
It’s no surprise Porter Jr.’s word salad on The Pivot was an absolute brick on social media. One user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the NBA small forward’s comments “wasn’t advocating for women’s hoops at all, smh it’s actually insulting.”
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
The Pay Equity Debate
Porter Jr.’s comments opened up the floor to the tired debate about the pay gap between women and male athletes in professional sports.
The gap between WNBA players and their male counterparts remains significant. The maximum salary in the WNBA reaches $235,000, while the minimum salary in the NBA is $1.1 million.
To combat this, WNBA players have found numerous ways to bring in more revenue, whether it be analyst jobs, coaching gigs, commercials, or other business ventures.
Some even play overseas where the pay is better, but in the case of Brittney Griner, for example, it could lead to some rather unfortunate consequences.
Griner was arrested and thrown in a Russian jail for nearly ten months on drug-related charges after being detained at Moscow airport for vape cartridges.
The Phoenix Mercury superstar’s situation shed light on WNBA superstars having to play basketball overseas just to make money, something NBA players wouldn’t even fathom doing.
Some argue that Porter Jr.’s comments were based on facts, while others point to the growing excitement in the WNBA.
Barclays literally sold out last summer and fall for Liberty games. And the arena is more hyped than nets games because people can afford to bring the whole family. You know nothing! You’re paying no attention at all and that is clear. I was THERE. https://t.co/HPmZOq0sfX
— Dani DeVito
(@Dani_Knope) February 3, 2024
He didn’t really explain it correctly but he’s got a point nba players are paid based on revenue and value of the team and league the wnba does not generate even a fraction of what the nba does like it would literally be financially impossible to pay wnba players the same
— lewthomas (@thomas020487) February 3, 2024
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