A new case of domestic violence in American basketball. NBA player Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested last week and charged in an attack on his girlfriend.
The accusations against the 23-year-old Houston Rockets basketball player are not minor. Porter is said to have assaulted and strangled Kysre Gondrezick – who was active in the WNBA – in a hotel room in the Millennium Hilton in New York. He was also arrested there by the police.
Porter pleaded not guilty and was released on bail (which was $75,000) pending further investigation. The American was also ordered to stay away from his girlfriend. “This is a serious case of domestic violence,” the court said.
Gondrezick – who was sleeping when the attack began – is said to have suffered a sore neck and a centimeter-long cut above her right eye in the incident. Porter is said to have only stopped hitting when the 26-year-old American walked into the hallway of the hotel while bleeding, after which the police were called by one of the employees who found her.
“When we arrived on scene, we found a 26-year-old female bleeding from her face and complaining of neck pain,” the NYPD statement said. “We quickly learned that a known individual had punched her multiple times on her body and placed his hands around the woman’s neck. In addition, she had difficulty breathing, suffered redness and bruising and substantial pain.”
© AP
There was initially talk of a broken neck, but that was later denied. Porter’s attorneys therefore asked that the charge of second-degree assault be dropped. This carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years. Porter still risks that if he is convicted of strangulation.
History
Kevin Porter Jr. was selected 30th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft after an uneventful season with the University of South Carolina basketball team. After one year in Cleveland, the playmaker no longer wanted to play for the Cavaliers for “personal reasons.” After shouting at the locker room in frustration and smearing his locker with food, Porter – whose father also played in the NBA – was sent to Houston. A little later he was caught with a firearm in his car and he allegedly rammed his girlfriend’s car with his own.
Last season he had to be kept away from assistant coach John Lucas during halftime of a game. The American threw an object at the man, left the arena and drove home while his teammates started the second half. But after Porter averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, he signed a contract until 2027 with an annual salary of more than 15 million dollars. The Rockets are now reportedly considering trading Porter.