The Brooklyn Nets recently picked up their first win of the season against an injury-riddled Indiana Pacers team after losing six straight games, thanks to Michael Porter Jr. The 27-year-old forward erupted for 32 points on the night while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. However, despite putting up his best performance so far in the campaign, that was the least of anyone’s concern after the game.

That’s because everyone seemed to be talking about MPJ’s Instagram story, where he was seen with Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. Although the former NBA champion might not have thought much before uploading a picture on his story, it led many to believe that he and the Indiana Fever star were a thing.

More so, with a pretty popular account on X (formerly Twitter) called ‘BrickCenter’ stating that both hoopers are dating. “Sophie Cunningham and MPJ are dating,” the account captioned their tweet and attached a screenshot of Michael Porter Jr.’s Instagram story. So, is that actually the case?

Are Michael Porter Jr. and Sophie Cunningham actually dating?

Well, no. While Porter Jr. and Sophie Cunningham seem to share a great bond, they are not romantically involved. On the contrary, both have been friends since their childhood days. In fact, the Nets forward himself, not too long ago, revealed that he grew up with Cunningham in Missouri. Not just that, something that everyone, including the account that started this rumor, missed was MPJ’s caption.

If you look closely at the picture, the Brooklyn Nets star has not only tagged Sophie Cunningham, but also written, “573” in the caption. Now that’s the key part, or an easter egg you may call it. It is because the number MPJ has mentioned is an area code in the state of Missouri. This indicates that he just posted the picture as a friendly gesture, rather than both of them being in a relationship.

Although this subtle message from Michael Porter Jr. should be enough to prove that he and Sophie Cunningham are just childhood friends, if you still have any lingering thoughts about their relationship, maybe the 27-year-old’s sister’s statement about Sophie Cunningham when the two were teammates at the University of Missouri might make things much clearer for you.

Cierra Porter, who is Michael Porter Jr.’s elder sister, shared the floor with Cunningham while playing for the Missouri Tigers. It was during her freshman year when she was asked about her relationship with fellow freshman Sophie Cunningham. “We kind of grew up together. You go through all the ups and downs, and you end up like sisters,” Porter said.

“… It’s just a really fun connection and I’m really blessed to have gotten to play with her for so long.” MPJ’s elder sister stated that her connection with Cunningham was like that of sisters, which should help you understand that the Nets star and the Fever star are long-time friends and nothing else. Nonetheless, this isn’t the first time Porter Jr. has mentioned/ posted Sophie Cunningham.

Michael Porter Jr. leveraged his friendship with Sophie Cunningham to quell a heated WNBA take

Well, while Michael Porter Jr. is making headlines currently for his picture with WNBA star Sophie Cunningham, not too long ago, he was in hot water for his controversial takes on women’s basketball. It all started when MPJ, in a podcast, stated that he did not understand female basketball players wanting similar treatment as male basketball players, as both sports are completely different.

This is just one of the several hot takes he had about the women’s game. As expected, the 27-year-old received a lot of criticism over his remarks. So much so that he had to leverage his close-knit relationship with Sophie Cunningham to quell the heat. In an interview with the New York Post, PJ said, “I’m the biggest fan of the WNBA,” noting that he had two elder sisters who used to beat him in hoops growing up.

He then mentioned that he “grew up with Sophie Cunningham” in Columbia, Missouri. Porter added, “[Cunningham and I have] talked about being able to chop it up and talk on a podcast.” While it’s been a minute since MPJ gave this interview, he and Sophie Cunningham, despite her having her own podcast, haven’t collaborated. Now with this dating rumor added to their lore, it should be interesting to hear what both stars have to say about all of this.