Michael Porter Jr. Reveals Shocking Truth About NBA Players

Fans were shocked by some of the things that were said by the former NBA champion, going as far as to say, "I don’t know who the Nuggets had on staff to make sure MPJ never opened his mouth like this but they needed to be paid extra."

Porter Jr. has a lengthy injury history

The former Nuggets forward has a well-documented history of back injuries, which significantly impacted his career early in his NBA career. Even in college, he suffered a lower back injury with herniated discs in his first college game in 2017.

Porter Jr. underwent back surgery and was able to return for only a handful of games late in the season, which turned off suitors during the NBA Draft. After being drafted by Denver, he underwent a second back surgery and missed the entirety of his rookie season in the NBA.

Then, after a successful 2019-20 season, he played in only nine games in the 2021-2022 season and had a third back surgery, missing a significant portion of the year.

Due to nerve damage from his back issues, Porter Jr. has to wear an ankle-foot brace to address "foot drop," so his ability to play significant time in the league is impressive.

Do NBA players really work hard?

Porter Jr. posted a clip on his YouTube page "Curious Mike" discussing NBA myths and he revealed an interesting topic.

"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: that everybody works really, really hard. You have to be talented and gifted, and you do have to work hard to get here. But a lot of people don’t work on their game, don’t work on their bodies, don’t work on staying healthy," Porter Jr. said.

While fans are always looking to see offseason videos of their favorite players working, Porter Jr. implies that it's really all for show.

"They don’t put the time into recovery as much as you would think. I have always been, as you know, super, super dedicated. I love to work hard. But I feel like that’s not the case for every NBA player. I was also forced into it due to my injury situation," he added.

In a new situation with the Brooklyn Nets, Porter Jr. is going to have to become a tier above what he was in Denver around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, as the Nets are still in a rebuild, and he will be one of the longest tenured veterans on the team.