The Houston Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. has been arraigned. What happens next?

There’s no way around it. The Rockets guard messed up big time. In the wake of his arrest for what appears to have been a brutal assault on his girlfriend, his future hangs in the balance. Now that he’s no longer in police custody, the process of figuring that out begins.

Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr has been arraigned

On Tuesday, Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arraigned on felony assault and strangulation charges stemming from his alleged attack on his girlfriend, WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, at a New York City hotel. As per reports you would have seen that the incident in which the former USC star was involved resulted in his partner suffering multiple injuries including a fractured neck vertebra and a cut above her right eye. Porter was reportedly ordered to post $75,000 cash or obtain a $100,000 bond to secure his release on condition that he stay away from Gondrezick.

What exactly did Kevin Porter Jr. do?

Regarding Porter’s motivation, it is alleged that the 23-year-old returned to the Millennium Hotel in Times Square in the early hours of Monday morning, the place where he was staying with Gondrezick. According to reports, the 26-year-old was upset by Porter returning late and as such locked him out of the room. With the assistance of hotel security, Porter gained access to the room after which he is said to have assaulted her. It is understood that he did not stop until Gondrezick ran out into the hallway covered in blood.

As per reports, police responded to a 911 call made from the room at approximately 6:45 a.m. ET. “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 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 her neck.” It should be said that during Tuesday’s hearing, Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Mirah Curzer reportedly said that Porter has a history of abusing the woman, including an incident during which he drove his car into hers. “This is a serious domestic violence case,” Curzer said.

Yes, Kevin Porter Jr. does have a troubling past

If the allegations against him weren’t already sinister enough, then it’s worth noting that Porter has actually been here before and more than once. In August 2020, Porter was accused of punching a woman and pulling her hair while in downtown Cleveland. The woman involved in the alleged altercation claimed that Porter ripped out her weave while she was in an argument with Porter’s sister and that he also punched her in the face. Porter was never charged for his alleged involvement. charged for that incident. There was also November of that same year when he was arrested for possession of a loaded gun after being involved in a single-car accident. A player for the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time, Porter was released after posting a $4,000 bond.

It was those same Cavs from which Porter was traded to the Rockets in 2021, after what was reportedly an angry outburst in the team’s locker room after learning that his locker had been issued to a teammate. From yelling to eventually throwing food, the situation escalated to the point that Cavs GM, Koby Altman was forced to intervene, reportedly stating at the time that Porter remained “combative.” Porter was told shortly after the incident to collect his things and leave, while his teammates were advised that he would no longer be a member of the roster. Just four days later, Porter was offloaded to the Rockets.

The sad irony in all of this is that the former Trojan is coming off of what was his best season in the league so far since being drafted as the No. 30 overall pick in 2019. Porter averaged a career-high 19.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a starter for the Rockets last season. His next day in court will be in Manhattan on October 16th.