Kevin Porter Jr. of the Houston Rockets was arrested on Monday, September 11 in Manhattan, New York. [1] The allegations of him savagely attacking his girlfriend, WNBA free-agent, Kysre Gondrezick, are severe and sickening. Porter was arraigned the following day. Prosecutors said the alleged attack left Gondrezick with a fractured vertebrae and deep cut over her right eye, which come to find out is not entirely true, but nonetheless his relentless beating and strangulation is sure to leave lasting PTSD effects on Gondrezick. [2] Porter’s defense team immediately sought to have the second-degree felony assault charges dropped. The charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment. With that said, if those charges are dropped, he could still face a maximum of seven years behind bars based solely on the second-degree strangulation charge alone if convicted. Additionally, he is facing third-degree assault charges. Following his arraignment, Porter was released on a $75,000 bail. He is due back in court on the 16th of October.
This isn’t the first time Porter has faced such horrible allegations. His off-the-court issues date back to 2019 during his freshman season at USC. [3] There, he faced undisclosed conduct issues that left USC head coach, Andy Enfield, with no choice but to suspend the Trojan star before their trip to play at Oregon State and Oregon. Fortunately for Porter, he was only benched for two games, but when he came back his performance slipped a bit, ultimately dropping him from a “lottery pick” to No. 30 overall in the NBA draft that spring. Porter was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but by the completion of his first season, he was already traded to the Rockets. Some would speculate that the Cavaliers didn’t want to deal with his behavioral issues, which became more and more evident throughout the season.
Before training camp had even begun, Porter was accused of punching a woman in the face and ripping her weave off in downtown Cleveland. Within a few months after that incident, he was already the face of another. Porter was involved in a one-car crash where he was charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, failure to control a motor vehicle, and possession of marijuana charges that eventually were dismissed. Shortly thereafter, Porter threw a fit when a newly attained player arrived and Porter’s locker was moved. This incident led to a conflict with Koby Altman, the Cavaliers General Manager, and subsequently to Porter’s trade to the Rockets for a second-round pick. [Id.] And you guessed it, trouble followed.
Once arriving in Houston, Porter’s game improved. The same cannot be said for his behavioral problems. In April of 2021, the NBA fined Porter due to a violation of the league’s COVID-19 health and safety rules. In short, Porter and a teammate visited a strip club in Miami where they got into a confrontation with a few men in the parking lot. His disobedience cost him a whopping $50,000. Nine months later, Porter’s conduct was questioned yet again when then-coach, Stephen Silas suspended Porter because he “lost his temper” and felt that suspending him “would be best for the team and best for our culture as a group…”
Fast forward to the most recent allegations that happened this month and we have to beg the question: How, after all of these blazing red flags and warning signs, have the Houston Rockets allowed him back in their locker room? In October of 2022 the Rockets offered Porter a four-year, $82.5 million extension with built-in protections against this exact situation. What safeguards did this entail? Specifically, only the first year of the contract was guaranteed, and if they waive him before October 1st, opening night, then the Rockets would only owe him $3 million beyond this season. [4] Presumably, the contract was structured in such a way because the Rockets management knew there was a chance that off-court problems would occur as they had in the past. Evidently, Porter proved them right.
A question for the higher ups in the NBA – is talent worth all this trouble? Sure, Porter had an unfortunate past, losing his father at such a young age, but shouldn’t that be reason to be a man of integrity, honor, courage? Instead his behavior off-court, even in the team facility, has proven to be problematic for friends, family, teammates, coaches, and management alike. Does he deserve another chance? If so, how many more are in store for him? Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Michael Wyke
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