By admin 
It’s a good time to be Michael Porter Jr. Although the Brooklyn Nets are still rebuilding, he’s the team’s centerpiece and is coming off a season in which he averaged 24.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. After playing under the shadows of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in his six seasons with the Denver Nuggets, he is finally the man and is getting paid like it, too.
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In fact, the 6’10” forward is set to play in the final year of the five-year contract that he signed in 2022 and will make an eye-popping $40,806,150 for the 2026-27 season which will put his total earnings at $179,299,750. With all that money in his bank account, one can’t help but wonder what kind of life Porter Jr. is living right now
In a recent conversation with Lexie Brown, Porter Jr. candidly admitted that he doesn’t care much for all the money he’s making right now, saying he’s even looking forward to living a minimalist life once his playing days are done.
He was never in it for the money
It’s easy for professional players who are making millions of dollars to say they don’t play for the Benjamins. However, the reality is that money will always be the biggest motivator in the NBA, the NFL, the MLB, or any other professional league in the world.
Yet Porter Jr. is a quirky fellow who stands out in more ways than one.
“I’ve never played the game of basketball for money. I’ve never lived my life for money,” he
“I have a lot of money now, and, you know, I’m okay with a lot of money. And I’m okay also living very frugal and not really spending a lot of money, and going back to Missouri.”
“Realistically, I’m not going to lie to you, I probably could live right now off of…You know, like, I make a lot of money. It’s a max contract. I think I make like $40 million this next year, something like that,” he added. “But I could easily go back to living off of a couple thousand dollars.”
Porter Jr.’s comments are a breath of fresh air, especially after NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr. said that $100 million apparently isn’t enough to last a lifetime for a pro athlete.
“I always explain this to people: You give somebody a five-year, $100 million contract…What is it really? That’s five years for $60 [million]. We’re getting taxed. That’s $12 million a year you have to spend, use, save, invest, flaunt, whatever,” the New York Giants wide receiver said on “The Pivot.”
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MPJ wants to live a simple life
As the Notorious B.I.G. once alluded to in his song “Mo Money Mo Problems,” it’s “like the more money we come across, the more problems we see.” This essentially means that as someone earns more money, their lifestyle shifts into a higher gear, naturally leading to spending much more than before.
“Some people get so accustomed to a certain lifestyle, and it’s so their norm now that they can’t imagine going back to how they grew up, or not spending all this money, or not flying private, or not doing this,” Porter Jr. stated.
“I feel like I’m one of those dudes who’s very okay with living a very luxurious lifestyle, but I’m also okay going back. I’m just cool wherever. I’m cool staying at the Four Seasons. I’m cool staying in a Marriott or a Holiday Inn. Like, I’d be cool with either. Some dudes aren’t like that.”
“I actually have a goal, like post-career, that I want to live as a minimalist for a whole year and spend very little money. Not live in a big crib, not eat at the bougie restaurants,” he concluded.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 8:01 AM.