The upcoming NBA season is an important one for Houston Rockets’ guard Kevin Porter Jr., and with news that he’s facing felony assault and strangulation charges and threats from the alleged victim’s sister, it has now gotten complicated.
Make-Or-Break Season For Porter Jr.
Porter Jr., 23, signed a four-year $63 million extension with the Rockets. But only this season’s $15.86 million is guaranteed. The team has doubts about whether Porter Jr. can be a long- term addition in their future — not only because of his play, but also dynamics within the locker room.
Last season was Porter Jr.’s best in terms of production and positive impact. It was the first season he recorded a net positive in EPM. He had career high efficiency numbers with 52.2 eFG% and 57 TS% and he converted a career high FT% AT 78.
Those are all good signs and trending up. He still needs to improve defensively and new head coach Ime Udoka will be hard on him in that area. If he’s not making the requisite effort and understanding his assignments, he will be seated on the bench.
Training camp, which opens at the end of the month, is going to be critical for him to show the improvements he’s made to his game. But now he has this issue with his girlfriend hanging over him.
Latest Incident Doesn’t Look Good
Porter Jr. was arrested and charged with assault and strangulation relating to his girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick, 26, on Monday, Sept. 10. The incident took place at the Millennium Hilton hotel in Manhattan, and reportedly only ended when Gondrezick, a former WNBA player, ran out of the hotel room into the hallway, covered in blood. She reportedly was sleep with Porter allegedly attacked her, and has suffered a fractured neck vertabra and a deep cut above her right eye.
Kysre’s sister, Kalabrya Gondrezick, who is the wife of the late NFL QB Dwayne Haskins, seemingly threatened Porter Jr. via her Instagram story. The social media post since has been deleted.
“If you think you gone touch my sister and not get touched, count ya f**king days,” wrote Kalabrya on her Instagram story. “Better hope and pray you’ll be able to ever walk again let alone dribble.
“You may have gotten away with this s**t in the past cus yo mama ain’t beat ya a**, but we spank lil punk a** painting nail sissy b**tches like you everyday. Don’t show up to that crib. We gone do it to you. Lil b**ch.”
This isn’t Porter Jr.’s first interaction with police. In November 2020, he was charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, failure to control the vehicle and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass told The Athletic the league is aware of the arrest reports, has been in contact with the Rockets and is “in the process of gathering more information.”
Porter is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan courtroom on Oct. 16. The Rockets are set to play a preseason game in San Antonio that very day, according to ESPN.
None of this is a good look for a player hoping to stick in the league.
