NBA star Michael Porter Jr. sparks debate after revealing he split rent with ex to test her intentions

Social media is divided on whether Michael Porter Jr. is being fair or just controlling after he revealed why he split the rent with his girlfriend.

Once again, a celebrity has given us an unsolicited peek into their bank account and dating life, and honestly, we didn’t ask for it.

Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. recently sat down with “Respectfully The Justin Laboy Show” and revealed that he split rent with his ex-girlfriend as a way to test whether or not she was in the relationship “for the right intention.”

Now, let’s be clear: this man is not hurting for cash.  Porter Jr. is reportedly set to earn $38.3 million for the 2025–26 season, with his salary jumping to $40.8 million the following year, per ESPN. Before the Nets scooped him up in a June 2025 trade, the 27-year-old inked a five-year, $179.3 million extension with the Denver Nuggets, complete with performance incentives that could push the deal to $207 million.

“It’s very hard when you have money to tell a woman’s intentions,” Porter shared. “I had never bought a girl expensive gifts before this last girl — and it was cool to do.” 

Even though he enjoyed spoiling his ex, Porter said he couldn’t shake the fear of her being a stereotypical “gold digger.”

“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.”

However, social media users began to raise a brow when the NBA star shared more details about how they reached the agreement to split rent and how he’s handling the situation since they broke up. According to Porter Jr., it all started when his then-girlfriend was apartment hunting and finally found a place she liked, but it was significantly over her budget. At the time, the Brooklyn Nets forward said that because he wanted her to stay there, he offered to pay the difference in the rent budget for a year, no matter what happened in their relationship. 

NBA star Michael Porter Jr., who signed a $200 million contract revealed that he splits the rent with his girlfriend 💀 pic.twitter.com/z8xcGxx9uI— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) September 24, 2025

Six months later, the couple called it quits. But his ex is still looking for the money he promised

“I don’t blame her because she went into that apartment not being able to afford it, and I gave her my word,” he said, but says he will not send her the total balance for the rest of the year, “Because she needs to act right month to month. 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.”

The comments immediately sparked debate online. Some folks argued that Porter is under no obligation to keep footing the bill after the breakup. Others noted the controlling undertones of dangling financial support based on how his ex is “acting.”

Meanwhile, I just wish couples would leave us out of these messy financial entanglements. Because if the Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade situation taught me anything, it’s this: your relationship bills ain’t our business.