By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested upon preliminary investigation on scene in a New York hotel on Monday. He was issued felony charges of assault and strangulation.
Porter, 23, has been accused of attacking his girlfriend, a former WNBA player, as confirmed by the police.
“We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr. We have no further comment at this time,” the Rockets reacted in a statement.
“The league office is in contact with the Houston Rockets and in the process of gathering more information,” added the NBA through spokesman Mike Bass.
With investigations of the police and the league ongoing, the Rockets are not allowed to issue immediate punishment, such as a team suspension. However, NBA commissioner Adam Silver can sanction the player, depending on the findings of the case.
Previous off-court incidents
During the 2021-22 Regular Season, Porter left the Toyota Center before the end of a Rockets home game. He and Christian Wood then got into an altercation with assistant coach John Lucas II at halftime. Both served one-game team suspensions.
The stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his first NBA team, included an arrest on a weapon charge in 2020. His NCAA career featured a suspension by the University of Southern California for personal conduct issues in 2019.
Coming out of USC, Porter was selected with the 30th overall pick of the 2019 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the Cavaliers. Following the weapons charge, later dropped, he was traded to the Rockets midway through the 2020-21 Regular Season.
Heading to the 2022-23 season, he inked a four-year contract extension worth 82.5 million dollars. Averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game painted the statistical picture of his efforts last season.
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