The arrest of Kevin Porter Jr. on charges of assault and strangulation in connection with the beating of his girlfriend Kysre Gondrezic early Monday at the Millennium Hilton in Manhattan. was the last straw for the soon-to-be former Houston Rocket. Prosecutors say Porter punched Gondrezick with an open fist and only stopped when she ran into the hallway, covered in blood. Gondrezick also told authorities that Porter wrapped his hands so tightly around her neck that she lost movement in her left arm, suffered bruising on her neck and had trouble breathing. The attack was so violent that it reportedly broke her vertebrae.
The Rockets are likely putting the finishing touches on him, but his name should be removed from their websites and his image from promotional materials in the coming days. He’s done in this league. Miles Bridges’ second chance with the Charlotte Hornets after brutally beating his girlfriend is already a tough pill to swallow, but Porter has already blown through a dozen flashing lights to reach this connecting point.
From a strictly basketball perspective, Porter was an enticing talent at both guard positions, but he was always waiting to burst at the seams. The not-so-dirty secrets surrounding the league have made their way into the mainstream, but many of Porter Jr.’s indiscretions. were already known.
His record as a dangerous loose cannon is extensive. During his freshman season at USC, Porter was suspended by Andy Enfield for personal conduct issues and returned for the remainder of the season, but character issues and violent tendencies dogged him throughout his career.
At the end of 2020, he was arrested for allegedly throwing a drink in a woman’s face, ripped off her wig and punched her in the left side of her face during an argument at a Cleveland apartment complex. And that was in the presence of his mother.
After flipping his Mercedes SUV in southeast Cleveland, Porter was arrested and charged with improper discharge of a firearm in a motor vehicle when investigators discovered a .45-caliber handgun. However, a grand jury declined to indict and the charges were dismissed.
A year into the pandemic, Porter participated in a fight outside a Miami strip club with a group that was humping his teammate, Sterling Brown. There’s nothing inherently wrong with defending a teammate, but combined with the mosaic of blemishes on his growing personal incident report, Porter’s participation in the brawl was another headache.
He couldn’t be trusted with even the simplest of tasks, like staying for an entire game or taking criticism from coaches. In January 2022, Porter threw an object and tried to wrestle with assistant coach John Lucas – known around the league as the man that can get through to professionals with a problematic personal life — before getting into his car and leaving the arena.
Porter was so problematic in Cleveland that after his locker was moved to a recently traded player midway through the 2020-21 season, he threw a tantrum before setting his sights on General Manager Koby Altman, and the Cavaliers outright waived a 20-year-old player. rookie in the first round, just 50 games into his ascension into the NBA. Cleveland understood that his problems extended beyond basketball and the Rockets were more than happy to swoop in and try to rehabilitate him and his career.
The Assistant District Attorney of Manhattan investigating Porter’s case, Mira Curzer, also said Porter had a history of abuse from Gondrezick – including an incident where he rammed his car into hers. Given its history, it’s not hard to believe. This week, Houston Rockets writer and podcast host Jackson Gatlin shared one story of Porter destroying a club DJ’s laptop that illustrated its volatility. There’s no telling how many other flaresups haven’t been announced yet, but Porter Jr. has always been on the verge of explosion. It shouldn’t have been dramatic for everyone to shun him and go public with stories of their clashes with his temper.
Porter won’t be with the Rockets for long. Are emotional outbursts are so well known that the Rockets included wording in his $82 million extension that would allow the Rockets release him at any time before opening night without paying him any guaranteed money. He is so maligned that at age 22, he couldn’t even earn a guaranteed deal after playing all 61 games he was active in.
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