Michael Porter Jr. gets mocked by NBA Twitter for confirming Nuggets' "Mickey Mouse ring"

For two years, Michael Porter Jr. has heard critics pointing out that the Denver Nuggets' 2023 title conquest was not as tough compared to other teams' championship campaigns. On Thursday, he may have inadvertently confirmed what the critics have been saying all along.

Speaking at a media availability, Porter described what has changed around the league since the Nuggets hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy:

"I just think that the league has spread out so evenly. There are so many good teams," Porter said. "That playoffs that we won that championship, there wasn’t that much of a struggle throughout the playoffs."

Though the 6-foot-10 forward was perhaps looking to emphasize the improved competitive balance over the past couple of years, he candidly admitted that the Nuggets had a relatively easier path to the championship in 2023.

This led netizens to throw shade at Porter's comments:

"Confirming it was a Mickey Mouse ring!" one netizen said.

"They played 3 play in teams lmao," another netizen pointed out.

"Then why did you struggle," another netizen asked while pointing out that Porter averaged just 9.6 points per game in the 2023 Finals.

"Only because Naz and Jaden were out!," another netizen commented, referring to the Minnesota Timberwolves, whom the Nuggets faced in Round 1 two years ago.

"He knows jokic don't got a real ring," another netizen added.

"cus y’all didn’t face a single good healthy team during that run lmfao," another netizen echoed.

For what it's worth, the numbers show that the Nuggets indeed had one of the easiest paths to the championship in the 77-year history of the NBA Finals.

The combined winning percentage of the Nuggets' four opponents in the 2023 postseason was actually 53.05%. Only four other champions in NBA history — who all played in the 1950s — have won the title against opponents with a lower combined winning percentage.

Report: Michael Porter Jr. unlikely to be traded away any time soon

Though Porter's comments have drawn flak, he is nevertheless a vital component that adds size, shooting, and athleticism to their roster. Aside from these on-court attributes, though, there might be another reason why Porter will be sticking around in Denver for the foreseeable future.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, no less than the Kroenke family — which owns and runs the Nuggets organization — has a particular affinity for Porter:

"The Kroenkes have a fondness for Porter that stems from deep ties to their shared alma mater: Missouri," Stein reported last week. "Sources with knowledge of Denver's thinking have maintained for some time that they struggled to envision ownership ever approving a deal that would send Porter away from the franchise."

If Stein's report is true, this at least cements one more key piece of the team's core amidst the recent turbulence within the Nuggets organization, when head coach Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth were fired on the same day.