October 3, 2023
Kevin Porter Jr. Banned from Houston Rockets After Domestic Violence Arrest
After being arrested on Sept. 11 for allegedly attacking his former girlfriend, Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. cannot be with his team in any capacity.
According to The Associated Press, the Rockets staff notified Porter after he was arrested for an alleged domestic violence assault on Kysre Gondrezick in a New York City hotel room last month. Prosecutors have stated that the attack on the former WNBA player left Gondrezick with a fractured neck vertebra and a deep cut above her right eye.
The 23-year-old baller has pleaded not guilty to felony assault and strangulation. He is slated to appear in court in Manhattan Oct. 16.
“The allegations against him are deeply troubling,” Houston Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone said on Oct. 2 during the team’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 then 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 its 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 four-year, $82.5 million deal with the Rockets. Based on the outcome of the domestic violence case and actions by the NBA, there is a possibility that Porter will no longer be with the Rockets.
“What’s left for the team to do is to evaluate the best steps for our organization that remain in compliance with the [league’s] domestic violence policy,” Stone said.
The combo guard is no stranger to trouble.
Porter was arrested in Nov. 2020 after a car crash when police found 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.
He was traded to the Rockets on Jan. 21, 2021. Three months later, 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-head coach Stephen Silas said Porter had a “spirited debate” and “lost his temper” at halftime.