Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. believes the tipping culture is out of control in the U.S. at the moment. Porter appeared on the latest episode of the Ball in the Family podcast, where he made it clear he isn’t a fan of the custom of tipping 20%.
“If you spending $3k on a meal, you shouldn’t have to tip $600, 20%, to me,” Porter said. “And then Uber Eats is another thing. If the Uber Eats order is $250, why are you still tipping 20% when they’re doing the same amount of work as if you ordered a $20 meal? It’s still just bringing the meal to you.
“So, I would say tipping culture is definitely out of control, to me,” Porter added. “But I’m a bad tipper, I ain’t gonna lie.”
Porter will have made $194.1 million in salaries in the NBA by the time his current contract expires in 2027. Some would argue there’s no excuse for being a bad tipper when you’re raking in millions of dollars, but he’s entitled to do whatever he wants with his money.
Porter wasn’t the only bad tipper on there, too, as co-host LiAngelo Ball admitted he is the same.
“I could get like a $400 meal n***a and I’m only giving a 10 or a 20 on how you was on that night,” LiAngelo stated. “That’s how I rock, for real. Unless I really like you, you know, I’m tryna flatter some s***, I’ll leave a little hundo out there… I ain’t doing 20%, I’m not gonna lie.
“It’s either a 10 or a 20,” LiAngelo continued. “You was great n***a, you get a $20 from me. You was cool, I’ll shoot you a 10 just for being there type s***.”
While you won’t be getting much from LiAngelo, that’s not the case when it comes to his older brother, Lonzo Ball. Lonzo, who is also a co-host, was asked if he always tips 20% and claimed he does.
‘Yeah, standard,” Lonzo said.
Lonzo will have made $122.9 million in salaries in the NBA after this season, and doesn’t mind sticking to the custom. To each their own.
Getting back to Porter, this was one of the least controversial comments he had made on a podcast this year, which speaks to just how wild some of his previous ones were. The most infamous of the lot was when the 27-year-old revealed he uses Andrew Tate clips to test women.
Nets general manager Sean Marks was asked on media day if the organization had spoken to Porter about his comments. Marks didn’t go into the details but stated that the forward knows where the organization stands on certain issues.
Porter revealed during this episode that the Nets told him to stay clear of certain topics. He is not going to be saying anything too crazy on podcasts from now on, and that is the right approach. It would be better if the focus were on his game, especially as he is playing well.
Porter is averaging 24.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26. He has easily been the best player on offense for a Nets team that has had a disastrous start to this season.
The Nets are currently 13th in the East with a 2-12 record. Their only victories have come against the two teams below them in the standings, the 2-13 Indiana Pacers and the 1-13 Washington Wizards.
We’ll see Porter and the Nets in action next against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Friday at 7:30 PM ET. It’s also an NBA Cup game, and the Nets, who are 0-2 in the competition, will be eliminated if they lose again.
