Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested and charged with assault and strangulation after an incident at a hotel in New York Monday morning, according to ESPN. Police responded to a call reporting an assault and arrested the Houston Rockets star after an investigation. The incident involved Porter’s girlfriend, and both charges against Porter are felonies.
“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,” a New York City police 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.”
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The woman, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, was sent to the hospital for evaluation. According to ESPN, prosecutors revealed at Porter’s arraignment on Tuesday that Porter left the woman with a fractured neck vertebra and a cut above her right eye. Porter pleaded not guilty to the charges but was not required to enter a plea during his appearance in court. The 23-year-old was in custody since his arrest on Monday morning and was released Tuesday on $75,000 bail. He’s due back in court on Oct. 16.
Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Mirah Curzer said Porter has a history of abusing Gondrezick, including an incident in which he rammed his car into hers. Per the criminal complaint, Gondrezick, 26, told police that Porter punched her repeatedly in the face with a closed fist, cutting her above the right eye and caused bruising to her face.
“The allegations here are horrific, no question about it, but I don’t know anything more of course about the actual facts other than reading those allegations,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday in New York. “We have a domestic violence policy that was collectively bargained with the Players Association. They certainly feel as strongly as we do about the issue. Every case though also depends on its unique facts.”
Porter was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. He was quickly traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers via the Detroit Pistons and signed with the Cavaliers in July 2019. Porter played one season in Cleveland before he was traded to the Rockets. This past season, Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest.
