FILE – Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. dribbles during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, March 7, 2023, in Houston. Porter was arrested on Monday, September 11, 2023, and charged with assault and strangulation after allegedly attacking his girlfriend at a New York hotel. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith, file)
NEW YORK — Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested Monday and charged with assault and strangulation after allegedly attacking his girlfriend at a New York hotel.
Porter, 23, is accused of hitting the woman multiple times and putting his hands around her neck, police said. The woman, aged 26, was taken to hospital with a cut to the right side of her face.
The incident happened around 6:45 a.m. at the Millennium Hilton near the United Nations in Manhattan, police said.
Porter remained in custody as of Monday afternoon. It was not immediately known whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. A message seeking comment was left with his agent.
In a statement, the Rockets said: “We are in the process of gathering information regarding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr. We have no further comment at this time. »
FILE – Kevin Porter Jr. #3 of the Houston Rockets. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Carmen Mandato / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Porter, a first-round pick in 2019, played four seasons in the NBA. Last year, averaging 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, he signed a lucrative four-year extension with the Rockets.
Porter’s career, however, was marred by off-field problems.
In November 2020, while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Porter was arrested after police said they found a loaded handgun and marijuana in his car following a single-vehicle crash. Porter claimed he didn’t know the gun was there and his charges were ultimately dismissed.
The Cavaliers traded Porter to the Rockets a few months later after he reportedly exploded at the team’s general manager after discovering his locker had been moved to make room for a newly acquired player.
In April 2021, the NBA fined Porter $50,000 for violating the league’s COVID-19 health and safety rules by visiting a Miami strip club. In January 2022, the Rockets suspended Porter for one game after then-coach Stephen Silas said the player had a “heated debate” and “lost his temper” mid-season. time.
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