Michael Porter Jr., who suited up, albeit briefly, for Missouri during the 2017-18 season, is heading to the 2023 NBA Finals. This comes after the Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the best-of-seven series Monday. The Nuggets will face the winner of the Boston Celtics-Miami Heat series.
Porter played a key role in helping the Nuggets reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The team reached the American Basketball Association Finals during the 1975-76 season, a year before joining the NBA.
Against the seventh-seeded Lakers, Porter averaged 15 points in four games to rank third behind MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic and star point guard Jamal Murray. He also averaged 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.8 blocks per game in the sweep. A reliable 3-point shooter, Porter cashed in 14 3s.
In Game 4, Porter joined four other Nuggets in recording double-digit scoring totals, also recording a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in nearly 41 minutes as Denver overcame a 15-point deficit to leave Los Angeles with a 113-111 victory.
Over the course of the NBA playoffs, Porter is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and the Lakers. This complements a regular season in which Porter averaged 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds over 62 games.
Missouri players to reach the NBA Finals
Med Park (1957, 1958): Park became the first former Tiger to not only appear in the NBA Finals but to win it as well.
Park and the then-St. Louis Hawks, now the Atlanta Hawks, appeared in the 1957 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. In the series, Park averaged 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.
The Hawks got their revenge the following season, briefly interrupting the beginning of the Celtics’ dynasty by taking down Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach in six games.
Park played an average of 15.2 minutes over six games, averaging 4.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He scored five points in the Hawks’ 110-109 victory to claim the title. It remains the only NBA title the state of Missouri has won.
Hall of Fame ex-MU coach Norm Stewart was a part of the 1957 Hawks team but didn’t see any action in the finals.
Win Wolfing, who played for Missouri from 1951-53 before moving to Memphis, was a member of the 1958 team. He played 67 minutes over the six games in the ’58 Finals.
Clay Johnson (1982, 1983): After a sensational 1977-78 season with MU and a three-year stint with the Hawaii and Billings Volcanos of the Continental Basketball Association, Johnson spent two seasons with the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers.
Johnson made back-to-back NBA Finals appearances with the Lakers in 1982 and 1983. In the 1982 Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson appeared in three games as the Lakers took down the Sixers in six games.
In the 1983 Finals against the same Sixers team, Los Angeles lost in four games. In Game 1 of the series, Johnson recorded six points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Larry Drew (1991): Years before becoming an NBA head coach and assistant coach, Drew spent his final two seasons as a player with the Lakers toward the end of their dynasty.
The Lakers reached the 1991 Finals against the Chicago Bulls but fell in five games. Drew appeared in four of the five games. He scored four points and grabbed a rebound in Game 2 and scored three points in Game 4.
Kareem Rush (2004): In his second season as a pro, Rush displayed some bright spots. He scored 30 points against the Sacramento Kings in the regular season. In Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, he scored 18 points off the bench in a 96-86 victory against the Timberwolves to help send the Lakers to the NBA Finals.
The Lakers eventually fell in five games to the Detroit Pistons. Rush played 76 minutes throughout the series, recording a total of 18 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block.
Jordan Clarkson (2018): The most recent Tiger to play in the Finals is also Missouri’s all-time leading scorer in the NBA with 10,487 points. Clarkson was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers midseason and averaged 12.6 points in 26 regular-season appearances for a team that included Drew as the associate head coach.
The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals but were swept in four games by the Golden State Warriors. Clarkson played a total of 25 minutes over two games, tallying six points and four rebounds.
Class of 2024 recruit offered by MU
Class of 2024 prospect Darrion Sutton announced Sunday that he received an offer from Missouri, posting the news to his Twitter account. Sutton, who hails from O’Fallon, is listed as a 6-foot-7 forward on 247Sports and currently plays at Accelerated Schools in Denver.
He carries a three-star rating on 247Sports and Rivals. 247Sports lists Sutton as the No. 1 player in Colorado and the 34th-best small forward in the nation in his class. Sutton holds other offers from Cincinnati, DePaul, Fresno State, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi State, Penn State, Rutgers, St. John’s and Virginia Tech, per Rivals.
