After the Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets faced off Monday, two brothers shared a special moment.
Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter played against each other for the second time in the NBA and swapped jerseys after the game.
Their first matchup was back in 2021, when Jontay was playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. Though Jontay played only four minutes in the 2021 matchup, he had a more impactful game this time around, finishing with a career-high 14 points and five assists. Michael had 19 points and eight rebounds in Denver’s 125-119 win.
The Porters have an extensive basketball family tree. Their father, Michael Porter Sr., is the director of player development at the University of Missouri. Their mother, Lisa Becker, is a former Miss Iowa Basketball award winner.
“Growing up, me and Jontay were best friends,” Porter Jr. said in the postgame news conference. “We were all homeschooled, and my mom would tell us, ‘You guys are best friends.’ Me and Jontay did everything together.”
Michael, 25, is a year older than Jontay, 24, but said he was the late bloomer.
“He got a beard before me, so everyone thought he was the older brother,” Michael said. “Growing up, we always played on the same AAU teams, we would do our subjects at home, being homeschooled, then play 1-on-1, play [pickup], whatever it is.”
“Growing up me and Jontay were best friends”
MPJ on his relationship with his brother after facing off tonight 🥹 pic.twitter.com/HOBA8ToqGt
— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2024
When the Porter brothers committed to Missouri Tigers, Jontay reclassified to play with his brother. Michael missed most of his freshman season in 2017-18 because of back issues and had to get surgery.
“He could’ve [gone] to the draft after that year where I went down and he really shined, but he decided to come back to Mizzou and play that second year, thinking that he could be a lottery [pick],” Michael said.
However, like Michael, Jontay faced a lot of injuries throughout his collegiate career and tore an ACL.
After bouncing around several teams in the G League and briefly playing for the Grizzlies in 2020-21, Jontay signed a two-way deal with the Raptors in December 2023.
“It’s not a surprise to see him out there,” Michael said. “I’m very, very happy for him.”
The Porter brothers swap jerseys after battling tonight 🤝 pic.twitter.com/pEwJVioBfJ
— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2024