UNITED STATES.-The alleged aggression of Kevin Porter Jr., the Houston Rockets guard, to his girlfriend in a New York hotel left the woman with a vertebral fracture in her neck and a cut on the top of her right eye, prosecutors revealed in the filing of charges on Tuesday.
Porter, 23, was charged with assault and strangulation in the incident that occurred Monday at the Millennium Hilton hotel, near the United Nations in Manhattan. The player did not have to make a plea of innocence or guilt during his brief court appearance.
Porter, who has been in jail since he was arrested around 6:45 a.m. Monday, will have to hand over $75,000 in cash or post $100,000 bail to be released. He will also have to comply with a restraining order from his girlfriend, former WNBA Kysre Gondrezick.
Porter is due back in court in Manhattan on October 16. The Rockets are scheduled to play a preseason game that day in San Antonio. The regular season will start two weeks later.
The Associated Press left a message for Porter’s attorney seeking comment.
According to the criminal complaint that was filed, Gondrezick told police that Porter repeatedly hit him in the face with a closed fist, causing a cut on the top of his right eye, as well as bruising and severe pain on his face.
Gondrezick said the NBA star also forcibly put his hands on her neck, which caused her to have difficulty breathing and left her neck red and bruised.
An examination at the hospital confirmed that the 26-year-old woman suffered a vertebral fracture in her neck, according to the complaint.
In a statement released Monday, the Rockets said they were gathering information about the situation involving Kevin Porter Jr. and that they would not make any further statements.
Porter has been in the NBA for four seasons — a period marked by good performance on the court and problems off it.
Last season, Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, earning a lucrative four-year extension with Houston, where he landed after leaving Cleveland on bad terms.
In November 2020, while he was a Cavaliers player, Porter was arrested after police said they found a loaded gun and marijuana in his car after crashing it. Porter claimed he didn’t know the police were in the car, and the charges were eventually dropped.
Porter, the first draft pick in 2019, was traded from Cleveland to Houston a few months later after he rebuked the Cavaliers’ general manager after learning that his locker had been moved to make room for a new acquisition.
Additionally, in April 2021, the NBA fined Porter $50,000 for violating COVID-19 health protocol by visiting a strip club in Miami.
2023-09-12 21:23:31
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