Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. has been arrested in New York for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick.
“Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter is under arrest in New York City Monday for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, a WNBA player, police sources told ABC News,” Aaron Katersky wrote.
“Porter, 23, is in custody at the NYPD’s 17th precinct in Midtown.
“Porter returned early Monday morning from an evening out to the Millennium Hotel in Times Square where he and his girlfriend were staying.
“According to police sources, the victim was upset with the late hour of his return and locked the door.
“Once he entered with the help of hotel security, Porter is accused of beating up the woman, the sources said.
“The extent of the victim’s injuries was not immediately clear.
“Domestic assault charges are pending against Porter.”
Conduct issues have plagued Porter throughout his basketball career, and the troubling pattern may be continuing given this latest development.
Porter was selected with the No. 30 overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft following a one-season stint playing college basketball at the University of South California. He averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals per game in 21 appearances with the Trojans during the 2018-19 season (four starts).
Porter’s contributions didn’t translate to a whole lot of wins for the Trojans, however. They finished the 2018-19 season with a subpar 16-17 record and missed out on the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans had an iffy defense when they had Porter, as they allowed 73.0 points per game during the 2018-19 season.
The 6-foot-4 guard has played for two NBA teams — the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rockets — across his four seasons in the NBA.
Porter spent just one season as a member of the Cavaliers, though — the 2019-20 season when he was a rookie. Porter averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 50 games played with Cleveland during the regular season (three starts). The Cavaliers then traded Porter to the Rockets in January of 2021 in exchange for a protected second-round pick.
He is fresh off arguably the best season of his pro career. Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game across 59 appearances with the Rockets during the 2022-23 regular season (all starts).
Porter seemed to have a bright future ahead of him in basketball, but given this development, his future with the Rockets and in the NBA is now very much up in the air. It’s possible that he has played his last game in the NBA.
