Kevin Porter Jr. Banned from Houston Rockets After Domestic Violence Arrest
After being arrested on Sept. 11 for allegedly attacking his former girlfriend, NBA player, Kevin Porter Jr. has been told that he cannot be with his team in any capacity, per the Houston Rockets.
According to The Associated Press, the NBA team notified Porter after he was arrested for an alleged assault on Kysre Gondrezick in a New York City hotel room last month on Sept. 11. Prosecutors have stated that the attack on the WNBA player left her with a fractured neck vertebra and a deep cut above her right eye.
Porter has pleaded not guilty to felony assault and strangulation and is slated to appear back in court in Manhattan on Oct. 16.
“The allegations against him are deeply troubling,” general manager Rafael Stone said on Oct. 2 during the Rocket’s media day. “Going back a few weeks, as soon as I heard the allegations, I informed his representatives that he could not be part of the Houston Rockets. They understood and he has not been with the team or around the team or had any interaction with the team since that time and will not be at media day today or in training camp.”
Houston Rockets GM Rafael Stone opened Media Day with a brief statement on guard Kevin Porter Jr. and his current status with the team. Porter has been accused of committing domestic violence against his girlfriend. #Rockets #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/AwviKm9Fky
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) October 2, 2023
The team has conspicuously left him off their training day roster.
Let it begin.
The 2023-24 Training Camp Roster is here! 👀 pic.twitter.com/ktkzd7QAFs
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 2, 2023
Just before last season, Porter inked a deal with the Rockets for four years, totaling $82.5 million. Based on the outcome of the case and actions by the NBA, there is a possibility that Porter will no longer wear the Rockets uniform.
“What’s left for the team to do is to evaluate the best steps for our organization that remain in compliance with the league domestic violence policy,” Stone said.
The combo guard is no stranger to trouble.
Porter was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and was arrested in Nov. 2020, after a car crash. Police officers revealed that they discovered a loaded handgun and marijuana in his car. Porter insisted that he didn’t know the gun was there, and the charges against him were dismissed.
After being traded to the Houston Rockers on Jan. 21, 2021, three months later, in April, the NBA fined him $50,000 for violating the league’s COVID-19 health and safety rules when he went to a Miami strip club. Last January, he was suspended by the Rockets for a game after then-coach Stephen Silas said that Porter had a “spirited debate” and “lost his temper” at halftime.
Kevin Porter Jr. Banned from Houston Rockets After Domestic Violence Arrest
