Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter is under arrest in New York City for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, a WNBA player, according to a report from New York’s ABC affiliate, WABC.
Porter, now 23 years old and a four-year NBA veteran, is in custody at the NYPD’s 17th precinct in Midtown, WABC reported Monday.
Buy Rockets TicketsWABC has further details, citing police sources:
Porter returned early Monday morning from an evening out to the Millennium Hotel in Times Square where he and his girlfriend were staying.
According to police sources, the victim was upset with the late hour of his return and locked the door.
Once he entered with the help of hotel security, Porter is accused of beating up the woman, the sources said. The extent of the victim’s injuries was not immediately clear.
Domestic assault charges are pending against Porter.
According to ABC in NYC, Kevin Porter Jr. has been arrested for domestic violence against his girlfriend, a WNBA player. https://t.co/wVQym6iqnm
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) September 11, 2023
Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Porter was charged with assault and strangulation.
“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,” Feigen quotes an NYPD spokesperson as saying. “A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a known individual struck her multiple times upon her body and placed his hands around her neck.”
Porter, who joined the Rockets in January 2021, was drafted by Cleveland in the 2019 first round. But following some concerning off-court incidents, the Cavaliers traded him to Houston for minimal compensation after less than two years. One of those incidents involved an allegation that he punched a woman in the face.
Since then, Porter played in 120 games for the Rockets over the past two seasons, all starts, and there were no known off-court incidents over his those Houston years. Monday’s report changes that, and it remains to be seen how the team will respond in the days ahead.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone initially declined comment, according to Feigen’s report.
Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. arrested, charged with assault in New York https://t.co/ShLiBnNfr5 via @houstonchron
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) September 11, 2023
