Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is doing something rare in the NBA—calling out the myths and exposing the depth of what life in the league truly demands. His latest epiphany? The deeply ingrained belief that every NBA player shares is a relentless work ethic.
Most fans believe that most players in the league give extra attention to their work ethic. Given the stories from legends like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and LeBron James, there’s an expectation that most players work extra hard.
However, Porter found out that it’s a myth and not everyone works hard.
Porter recently admitted on his “Curious Mike” podcast:
“Man, I think this was a myth for me coming in. Something I believed. But I think it’s also a misconception that a lot of people believe… and it’s that everybody works really, really hard.”
He didn’t leave it at that. The Nuggets forward lauded the hard-workers in the league but didn’t shy away from saying not everyone maintains that level of effort—especially once the chatter of contracts and fame kicks in.
Brooklyn Nets’ new forward said he never thought about playing basketball for money
Denver’s now-Brooklyn Net, Michael Porter Jr., dropped a powerful reminder on the Curious Mike podcast: his drive wasn’t fueled by a payday. Despite signing a massive deal, MPJ said this:
“I never play basketball with the thought of one day I’ll be playing for a lot of money.”
He backed that up with a stark image of his early days—growing up in a family of 10, where his dad worked on just $30,000 a year. MPJ recalled how his mom raided leftover Panera bagels because they were “broke,” yet the family never felt poor. These aren’t just humble-brags—they’re the foundation of his mental fuel.
“For some reason, there’s this misconception out there that I grew up with money. But I’m in a family of 10. My dad was the only one that worked, and he made $30,000 a year.”
“My mom would pull up to Panera and wait till the end of the day so they could give her the leftover bagels that they were going to throw out. The thing is, we didn’t feel like we were broke, but we were broke.”
Now, Porter has earned over $115 million in just his NBA salary. He’s also set to earn at least $79.1 million over the next two seasons.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
