Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. revealed he deliberately split rent with his ex-girlfriend, even while under a $200 million NBA contract, in order to gauge whether she was “here for the right intentions.”
The 27-year-old spoke candidly about his approach to relationships during a Tuesday, Sept. 23, appearance on Respectfully The Justin Laboy Show. Porter emphasized that, despite his financial status, he prefers to test whether partners are genuinely invested in the relationship rather than his wealth.
Laboy expressed surprise at the arrangement, remarking, “Hold on. I know you’re worth $200 million and were splitting rent with your ex-girlfriend.”
Porter’s financial profile is indeed substantial. In 2021, he signed a five-year, $179.3 million extension with the Denver Nuggets, which included performance-based incentives that could raise the total to $207 million, according to his agent and ESPN. The Brooklyn Nets assumed the contract following a June 2025 trade. Porter is set to earn $38.3 million for the 2025–26 season, with his salary expected to increase to $40.8 million the following season.
Despite this wealth, Porter said, “It’s very hard when you have money to tell a woman’s intentions. I had never bought a girl expensive gifts before this last girl — and it was cool to do. But I still wanted to know that she was with me for the right reasons. Every dude in this particular person’s past had money. So I never wanted to feel like a girl was just with me because of what I have.”
Porter then described how the rent arrangement came about. He said he does not plan to live with someone until marriage. When his ex-girlfriend found an apartment she wanted that was beyond her budget, Porter offered to cover the difference. He initially agreed to pay her portion of the rent for a year, regardless of whether their relationship lasted.
However, the couple separated five or six months later, prompting Porter to reassess whether he should continue financially supporting her. “Since our breakup, she reached out asking for the bread,” he said. “I don’t blame her because she went into that apartment not being able to afford it, and I gave her my word.”
Laboy questioned why Porter didn’t simply send her half of the remaining rent. “Because she needs to act right month to month,” Porter explained. “I’m just saying. So if I’m paying the remaining months… and I see she’s wilding, like, bro, it’s going to be hard to continue that agreement. That’s going to be tough because if you’re out here wilding, get that next dude to pay that rent.”
Porter’s comments highlight the challenges wealthy athletes often face in distinguishing genuine intentions from financial motivations in relationships, as well as the careful, sometimes unorthodox steps he takes to protect himself while maintaining his commitments.
