Kevin Porter Jr. Arrested in New York Monday

Kevin Porter Jr. Arrested in New York Monday

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested at a hotel in New York this morning on assault and strangulation charges, the New York Police Department announced Monday. According to reports, the incident was reported at 6:45 a.m. and Porter was arrested after a police investigation.

The incident involved Porter’s girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick, who is a former WNBA player.

“Upon arrival, officers were informed that a 26-year-old female sustained a laceration to the right side of her face and was complaining about pain to her neck,” the spokesperson said. “A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a known individual struck her multiple times upon her body and placed his hands around the neck.”

Porter’s girlfriend was taken to a local hospital shortly after police arrived and showed up with a cut on the right side of her face.

“We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr.,” the Rockets said in a statement Monday. “We have no further comment at this time.”

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The former first-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft has a history of off-court issues and the Rockets took that into consideration when offering him an extension last season. Porter signed a four-year, $82.5 million extension ahead of the 2022-23 season, but only his 2023-24 salary ($15.9MM) is fully guaranteed, according to Spotrac.

The Rockets did this to force Porter into earning the remainder of the deal and to protect themselves from any issues such as this one.

The Houston Rockets are in the midst of a big rebuild and have been trying to secure young talent in order to make it to the promise land. So far, they have been able to execute this plan but the initial idea was to have Porter and Jalen Green compliment each other. With Porter’s status unknown, Amen Thompson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, could see significant minutes.

The Rockets free agency signings of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks will now prove even more useful than before. Houston needed some veteran guidance and wasted no time getting it last offseason. With so many new faces in Houston, expectations will be higher and they will be a team to keep an eye on this upcoming season.

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