If Michael Porter Jr. thought guarding a 6’10 scorer in crunch time was nerve-wracking, try dodging death threats in your Instagram DMs. That’s the reality the Nets’ newest power forward admitted to on the “One Night With Steiny” podcast, a conversation that started as a critique of modern sports gambling but quickly became a chilling look at the risks players face off the court.

Porter, a key piece of Denver’s championship roster and arguably holder of one of the league’s smoothest jumpers, wasn’t holding back words about what gambling’s explosion has done to the NBA experience. “The enjoyment of the game isn’t for the game anymore,” he said. “It’s so that people can make money. In reality, way more people are losing money than making money.” Those losses, he explained, often turn into direct hostility toward the players who “mess up” someone’s over/under bet.

And in Porter’s case, that hostility has escalated to death threats. That revelation lit up the conversation on the Road Trippin’ podcast. Former NBA champ Richard Jefferson didn’t waste a beat. “Man, listen… DMs. Get the f— off social media… That’s why you have a team. Somebody death threats you, they see it before you, they delete it. You don’t need to be on there.” Kendrick Perkins piled on, recalling his own run-ins with aggressive fan bases, saying, “I got attacked by the Barbs,” and went straight to the solution.

“They have this thing called NBA security. Michael Porter Jr., like use it. ESPN has ESPN security.” For Porter, the problem isn’t theoretical. His younger brother, Jontay Porter, was banned from the league in 2024 after admitting to influencing games to benefit bettors. That high-profile scandal wasn’t just a headline. It was a cautionary tale Michael clearly hasn’t forgotten, so to speak.

On the podcast, he painted a picture of how easily temptation can creep in for players who “come from nothing,” describing how one could tip off friends to bet against their own stat line for a quick payday.

“That is so not OK,” Porter said, “but some people probably think like that.” And the issue goes beyond poor actors. With gambling now legal in most U.S. states (39 for now) and integrated into broadcasts, players have become unwilling focal points for every missed free throw or clanked three. For someone like Porter, who averaged 18.2 points per game last season, shooting 50.4% from deep… one off night? That is not just a dent in the box score. It’s potentially thousands of dollars lost for fans glued to their betting apps.

Michael’s words hit a nerve in NBA circles

The NBA’s relationship with sports betting is a high-wire act, balancing lucrative partnerships with the very real toll it takes on players like Michael Porter Jr. As the league rides the wave of legalized gambling, the fallout—social media vitriol, public scrutiny, and even threats to player safety—has become impossible to ignore.

Porter’s recent openness about the pressures he faces as a $30 million sharpshooter for the Brooklyn Nets shines a spotlight on this growing tension. His story isn’t just about missed shots or made bets; it’s about the human cost of an industry that’s reshaping the game. So, how did we get here, and what’s at stake for players, fans, and the NBA itself?

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been a vocal advocate. Silver’s stance is rooted in pragmatism, not promotion.

“Ultimately, the issue is not whether you are pro- or anti-sports betting,” he said. “You begin, from my standpoint, from the premise that it is going to continue to exist, and if it is going to continue to exist, should it be shoved underground, or should it be regulated? I’m not coming in as an advocate of sports gambling. I’m trying to be more of a realist to say it’s going on in a massive way… and I think the right course would be therefore to legalize it and regulate it.”

His vision? A transparent system where oversight protects the game’s integrity, leveraging sophisticated monitoring to catch “aberrational behavior” akin to insider trading in financial markets.

But Silver’s push for regulation doesn’t erase the darker side of betting’s rise. For players like Porter, every jumper—made or missed—can spark a firestorm.

“I think that on the downsides of sports betting, they certainly exist, and I think we have to pay a lot of attention to that,” Silver acknowledged, pointing to issues like underage betting and fans “betting over their heads.”

The stakes are even higher when players themselves cross the line, as seen in the case of Jontay Porter, banned for betting-related misconduct. Silver didn’t mince words: “Nobody in this league, any player who engages in that activity, there’s no question they are putting their livelihood at risk. It’s a message that’s important that we deliver to our players or anyone who is in our community.”

Jefferson’s advice was blunt but strategic: remove the access point. Don’t let the threats in. Perkins, meanwhile, emphasized using official resources like NBA security, which is designed to intervene when fan behavior crosses into harassment. Fair enough, right? But there’s an unavoidable irony here.

Porter, a $30 million man with an NBA title and one of the purest shooting strokes in the league, now has to navigate an environment where hitting or missing a jumper can trigger real-world consequences. The conversation he started might not change the gambling tide, but it’s a reminder that the human cost of those betting slips is measured in more than money.

And for the Brooklyn Nets, keeping Porter healthy, locked in, and safe isn’t just about protecting a player anymore. It’s about preserving the championship window for a team built around Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas, and yes, Michael Porter Jr., who’s now as much a spokesperson for player safety as he is a floor-spacer in the corner.