There’s no shortage of pettiness in the NBA. But who would’ve thought it started at the very top? Michael Porter Jr. is arguably thriving since his Denver exit. That doesn’t mean he had to like it. Especially after his improved performance brought him within an inch of the All-Star Weekend. However, a rookie mistake that he had previously called “one of the most shameful and embarrassing moments” involving NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, so he thinks, kept that call-up out of reach.

Porter Jr. didn’t have the easiest of starts to his professional journey. He was picked up 14th overall in 2018 but had to sit out due to back surgery, then suffered a knee injury the following offseason, and he didn’t really reach peak fitness for a long time. He breached the 80-game mark only in his fifth playing season. But amid a career year with the lowly Brooklyn Nets, many hoped to hear his name during the All-Star selections in February. His name never came, and many branded it as one of those big snubs of the year. MPJ thinks it’s much more than that.

So, when Porter Jr. cracked the top 10 in the fan votes, many thought he would make it. He speculates that the NBA commissioner was involved in his exclusion. “I think I may have not made the All-Star team because I leaked Adam Silver’s number,” Porter said on N3ON’s livestream, bringing back his viral Welcome to the NBA moment he created for himself in 2019. “Back in the day, it was the Rookie Transition Camp in New York, and they were going through a slideshow presentation. And I was on Snapchat, and I actually took a snapshot, and I posted it to my story, and had his number on the background.”

The incident of typical youthful digital negligence is still fresh in Denver fans’ minds. Obviously, having Silver’s direct contact out there was a big faux pas, something Porter Jr.’s sister told him to correct immediately. The hoopster even went up on stage and apologized for his mistake at the time. But by the time the rookie deleted it, Porter told N3ON that it had been screenshot 500 times within minutes and had gone viral with over 30 million views. Everyone wanted a piece of Silver that badly. But he then changed his number, and who knows if he gave the new one to the players (maybe he did to everyone but MPJ.)

“So I think, when it was time for All-Star voting, he’s probably a little salty because he picks the replacements,” Porter Jr. reasoned. “The players that get injured, Adam Silver picks the replacements. And bro, I should’ve made it to that thing.” Maybe, just maybe, he’s right. The new USA vs. World format was mostly fan-voted. However, MPJ had the chance to be on one of the American teams with multiple injuries sidelining the original cast.

Stephen Curry did not play for Team OG due to a runner’s knee injury, and Brandon Ingram replaced him. De’Aaron Fox replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo. Norman Powell moved to the World Team because of his Jamaican roots, and Silver also added Kawhi Leonard to one of the two U.S. Teams. And at that point, MPJ was statistically outperforming Ingram. He put up career highs of 24.2 points and 7.1 rebounds this season, while the Raptors star was slightly behind with 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, and even did better than De’Aaron Fox. However, fans have their own theory. As MPJ’s Nets team was allegedly tanking while the Raptors and Spurs were already playoff contenders, they think Silver picked the players from the leading teams.

Porter, who’s now dealing with his own case of doxxing after Celina Powell made his home address public, likely out of revenge, didn’t have the chance to personally apologize to the commissioner until the Nuggets won the 2023 championship and Silver presented him with his ring. Still, Porter believes Silver is hilariously holding on to the grudge over his rookie blunder. And if he were part of the weekend in Inglewood, MPJ would’ve had the chance to reunite with his former teammate, Nikola Jokic. That’s because his recent words just proved he’s still keeping a keen eye on them.

Is Michael Porter Jr. salty about the Nuggets trading him?

The commentary on the Commissioner was just one part of an illuminating session where Porter Jr. also took aim at his former team, the Nuggets. He was on N3ON’s livestream within hours of Denver’s first-round elimination by the Minnesota Timberwolves. So obviously, Porter Jr. reflected on the 2025 offseason trade that sent him and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange for Cameron Johnson.

He revealed that his final days in Denver were marred by a severe shoulder injury that he kept private while attempting to help the Nuggets against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I made myself look really bad because I’m playing through a crazy injury. Can’t even lift my arm,” Porter Jr. shared, describing a grueling routine of getting needles in his shoulder before every game. And he believes the Nuggets misjudged his value based on that diminished performance.

When asked if the Nuggets would have won against the Wolves with him on the roster, Porter Jr. was emphatic. “Yes… shouldn’t have traded me, man,” he said. No shade to the current Nuggets, but the only time they have beaten the Wolves in the playoffs was in 2023 with MPJ. They’ve been 3-1 for the rest of their playoff history.

And he’s not the only one who thinks. Within seconds of the Nuggets’ elimination, social media was mad at Cameron Johnson, calling him a downgrade as he averaged just 12.2 points this season compared to Porter’s 24.3. Clearly, he’s no longer making himself “look bad” enough to warrant an All-Star nod only to end up snubbed there, too.

Despite the bitterness toward the trade and the All-Star snub, Porter Jr. remains optimistic about where he is in Brooklyn, hoping that the Nets can build a contender around his career-best form this offseason.