Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. Proclaims ‘Relationship With God’ Matters Most
By Movieguide® Contributor
Denver Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr. knows that only one thing will satisfy him: a relationship with Jesus.
“At the end of the day basketball doesn’t matter. Money doesn’t matter. Fame doesn’t matter. The most important thing is a relationship with God,” Porter said in a post shared by Christhlete.
“Fame, money, power or anything else that you’re putting your trust in apart from Christ, cannot save you when you take your last breath,” Christhlete added. “Make your relationship right with God NOW while you still can. NOW is the acceptable time. NOW is the time of salvation.”
In 2019, Porter deleted all of his social media accounts to strengthen his faith and renew his perspective on life.
“First, you see all these dope stuff going on. You can get into the comparison game or whatever, but then it’s also, as a dude, one of our struggles is females, and there’s unlimited baddies on Instagram,” he said in a YouTube video.
“If I’m being 100%, like if you’re trying to focus and stay away from, like, it can be a trap,” he continued. “If that’s your thing you gotta be self-aware. If that’s your thing that you can fall into you can remove it for a while and for me it helped me focus.”
His goal is to be known as a man with integrity and honor.
“I just think overall for me, social media and like the day and age that we live in, the cons outweigh the pros for me personally and a lot of dudes in general,” he said.
“It depends what you want out of life and what you are trying to reach for me,” Porter continued. “I’m trying to, you know, walking in my faith and I’m trying to be a man of integrity and grow. I just feel like social media is a hindrance to that.”
The athlete relied on his faith when he returned to the court following an injury, making sure he found his identity in God, not basketball.
“A lot of people get anxious or mental problems when they’re putting their hope in love that’s unstable,” Porter shared. “So, I’m learning how to try to get my love from a stable source, which for me is God. So, learning to put that over things that are changing and fleeting, like the admiration of fans or what the public says about you, that’s been a big thing that’s brought me peace.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Porter’s faith after the Nuggets won and NBA Finals:
Porter has had his fair share of difficulties while playing in the NBA. The 24 year-old has dealt with back injuries for years, undergoing three different back surgeries, and was limited to just nine games last season.
He spoke about his faith and how it has helped him return to the court at the beginning of this year’s season, saying his playing is “not for the approval of people, it’s not for the approval of coach. You don’t even have to impress God. The thing that I’m learning is there are so many things that are unstable in life.”
“I feel good at this point. There are some things that I’m doing different this time around to try to just keep my back in check and everything,” Porter said prior to the Finals. “But … it could get taken away from anybody any day, so really just trying to stay in the moment and take it day by day and do my work every day and leave the rest up to God, for real.”
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