Overview
- On recent podcasts, Michael Porter Jr. said a team of elite eighth-grade boys could beat WNBA players and cited scrimmaging against Sophie Cunningham at Missouri as a middle schooler.
- Cunningham responded on her Show Me Something podcast that elite male athletes are generally bigger and stronger and would likely win, adding the matchup is unfair and the topic is overblown.
- Five-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry criticized Porter’s boast, asking if he “wants a cookie” and urging men to uplift the women’s game, pointing to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as examples.
- Reports highlighted a timeline gap in Porter’s story, noting Cunningham is only two years older, which raises doubts about his claim of facing her while he was in eighth grade.
- Coverage has broken along political lines, with some outlets using Cunningham’s remarks to stress biological differences, and prior reporting indicates the Nets have previously urged Porter to avoid sensitive topics.