Michael Lamar Porter Jr. (born June 29, 1998), also known as "MPJ", is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Missouri Tigers. Porter was ranked as one of the top prospects in the class of 2017. He was selected 14th overall by the Nuggets in the 2018 NBA draft, winning his first NBA championship with them in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Early life

Porter attended Father Tolton Regional Catholic High School in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

, before transferring to Nathan Hale High School in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, for his senior year. His father, Michael Porter Sr., was hired by the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

to be an assistant coach; former NBA player Brandon Roy was the coach of Nathan Hale's basketball team. In Porter's junior season at Father Tolton, he led the team to the 3A State Championship. In the 2016 summer, Porter joined Mokan Elite on the Nike 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 player Trae Young. 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. He recorded 52 points and 23 rebounds in a blowout victory over Seattle Prep on senior night. Porter was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as one of the top overall recruits in his class by Rivals.com and

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. On March 29, 2017, Porter was named MVP at the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

leading the West in a 109–107 win over the East team. Porter also participated in the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit, leading Team USA to a 98–87 victory over the World Select Team with 19 points in 23 minutes of play.

College career

In July 2016, Porter originally committed to Washington. After Lorenzo Romar was fired as Washington's head coach, Porter Sr. was hired as an assistant coach for the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

. Porter Jr. later decommitted from Washington. On March 24, 2017, Porter committed to play for Missouri, joining his father and his younger brother, Jontay Porter (who reclassified from the class of 2018). 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. On November 22, 2017, Porter had a successful microdiscectomy of his L3-L4 spinal discs. 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. Porter would officially return to action on March 8, 2018, in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. Porter would also play in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where the team lost to

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. 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 the 2018 NBA draft.

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2018–present)

Porter was selected with the 14th overall pick by the

in the 2018 NBA draft. He fell from a possible first overall pick to the 14th pick with the Nuggets due to reports regarding his health. 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. On July 3, 2018, Porter signed a multi-year contract with the Nuggets. On July 19, 2018, the Nuggets announced that Porter had undergone a second back surgery 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 the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. 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 the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. He set a new career high with 25 points in 23 minutes just four days later in a win against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On August 4, 2020, returning from the suspension of the season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Porter Jr. led the Nuggets to their first victory in the Orlando bubble, scoring a then career-high 37 points in route to a 121–113 overtime win over

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. On April 24, 2021, Porter scored a career-high 39 points in a 129–116 win over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. On September 27, 2021, Porter and the Denver Nuggets agreed to a 5-year, $172 million rookie extension that will become $207 million if Porter is selected to an All-NBA Team. He was expected to be the secondary scoring option behind

Nikola Jokić Nikola Jokić ( ; sr-Cyrl, Никола Јокић ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a Center (basketball), center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

while Jamal Murray continued to recover from a torn ACL. On November 29, 2021, having appeared in only 9 games, Porter's agent Mark Bartelstein announced Porter would miss the remainder of the

2021–22 NBA season The 2021–22 NBA season was the 76th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 19, 2021, and ended on April 10, 2022. For the first time since the 2018–19 season, the NBA returned to its usual O ...

as he would be undergoing a third back surgery. In Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals, Porter put up 16 points and 13 rebounds in a 94–89 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

to help the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in franchise history. 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 by Dale Ellis for the most made three-pointers in a season in Nuggets franchise history. On November 10, 2024, Porter scored 17 points and hit the game-winning jumper in a 122–120 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. On February 3, 2025, Porter had 36 points in a 125–113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. 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. The next day, Porter scored 30 points in 112–90 win over the Orlando Magic. He became the first player in Nuggets history to record three straight games of 30+ points and 5+ three-pointers.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 55 , , 8 , , 16.4 , , .509 , , .422 , , .833 , , 4.7 , , .8 , , .5 , , .5 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 61 , , 54 , , 31.3 , , .542 , , .445 , , .791 , , 7.3 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .9 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 29.5 , , .359 , , .208 , , .556 , , 6.6 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", ^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 62 , , 29.0 , , .487 , , .414 , , .800 , , 5.5 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .5 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 31.7 , , .484 , , .397 , , .836 , , 7.0 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .7 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 33.7 , , .504 , , .395 , , .768 , , 7.0 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .5 , , 18.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , , 345 , , 291 , , 29.1 , , .500 , , .406 , , .795 , , 6.4 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .6 , , 16.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 19 , , 3 , , 23.7 , , .476 , , .382 , , .743 , , 6.7 , , .8 , , .7 , , .3 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 33.2 , , .474 , , .397 , , .810 , , 6.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

^† , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 20 , , 32.6 , , .423 , , .351 , , .793 , , 8.1 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 12 , , 36.9 , , .466 , , .407 , , .769 , , 6.8 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , .8 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 14 , , 31.1 , , .392 , , .343 , , .714 , , 5.5 , , .6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 75 , , 59 , , 30.9 , , .446 , , .374 , , .768 , , 6.8 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .5 , , 13.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, 3 , , 1 , , 17.7 , , .333 , , .300 , , .778 , , 6.7 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 10.0

Personal life

Porter is a Christian. He grew up as a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

. In 2018, he changed his diet to raw vegan. As of 2020, Porter is no longer vegetarian or vegan. In addition to younger brother Jontay, he has two older sisters named Bri and Cierra, along with four younger siblings. 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. Also in April 2024, another younger brother of Porter, Jevon, was arrested in Missouri on suspicion of DWI. 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 the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

, and Jevon currently playing for Loyola Marymount University after previously playing for

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

. In 2017, Porter dated actress and model Madison Pettis. On September 10, 2023, while visiting Taiwan, Porter threw out the first pitch at a CTBC Brothers game.

References

External links

* Career statistics and player information fro
NBA.comMissouri Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Michael Jr. 1998 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indianapolis Basketball players from Missouri Basketball players from Seattle Denver Nuggets draft picks Denver Nuggets players McDonald's High School All-Americans Missouri Tigers men's basketball players Small forwards Sportspeople from Columbia, Missouri

Early life

College career

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2018–present)

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal life

See also

References

External links