Current Brooklyn Nets player Michael Porter Jr. has a contentious relationship with women’s basketball fans, to say the least.
This stems from some comments he has made about the WNBA and its players in the past couple of years, most notably when he said, “I know these females [WNBA players] want to get paid more, and they’re very talented. But so is a famous ping-pong player… That doesn’t mean that they’re going to get paid the same, because it’s what the people wanna watch. As much as I understand females wanting the same treatment as men basketball players, it’s a different sport,” on a January 2024 episode of The Pivot Podcast.
However, just because Porter Jr. has rubbed some fans the wrong way doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have a solid relationship with some players. And if there’s one WNBA player who can relate to Porter being polarizing, it might be Sophie Cunningham.
Cunningham has become one of the WNBA’s biggest names after her 2025 season spent with the Indiana Fever. However, this has given her both a lot of fans and many more detractors, given how she conducts herself both on and off the court.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts to a call from the referee on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Dallas Wings defeated the Indiana Fever, 81-80. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Interestingly enough, Porter and Cunningham were raised in the same city of Columbia, Missouri, and Porter has gone on the record saying that he grew up with Cunningham.
“[Cunningham and I have] talked about being able to chop it up and talk on a podcast,” Porter also said during a conversation with Brian Lewis of the New York Post for a September 23 article.
While that podcast appearance hasn’t happened yet, Cunningham did make an appearance at Porter Jr. and his Nets team’s November 5 game against the Indiana Pacers, who share the same home arena as Cunningham’s Fever.
After the game, Cunningham and Porter Jr. came together and posed for a photo, which Porter then posted on his Instagram story with the caption, “573 @sophie_cham 💜”. 573 is the area code for central and southeastern Missouri, including Columbia.
X account @BrickCenter_ reposted this photo of the two basketball stars with the caption, “Sophie Cunningham and MPJ are dating 💔”. The post already has nearly 1 million views in 16 hours.
Sophie Cunningham and MPJ are dating 💔 pic.twitter.com/mefNJe4SZQ
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) November 7, 2025
To be clear, there’s nothing to suggest that Cunningham and Porter Jr. are anything more than mere friends, and this caption from the X account was surely just a way to farm engagement. But these two polarizing basketball icons are clearly in good standing with each other.
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