Kevin Porter Jr: NBA urged by Houston domestic violence group to remove Rockets star from league amid assault and strangulation charges
A Houston-based advocacy group for victims of domestic violence is asking the NBA to impose strict discipline when it comes to punishing players like Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.
Porter Jr. was charged with second-degree assault and strangulation following an incident in New York City involving the Houston Rockets player and his girlfriend, WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick.
“At what point do the leagues say things have gone too far?” Emilee Whitehurst, president and CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center, told TMZ, adding, “It should have happened sooner.”
Whitehurst continued, “We challenge the NBA and similar professional leagues to strengthen their domestic violence policies and hold offenders accountable.”
The statement also said: “HAWC calls for public outcry against athletic leagues that pay and promote people with violent reputations. Porter has a long-standing reputation for troubling behavior. He has been suspended, fined and now arrested for assault and strangulation.”
Houston-area women’s organizations and national women’s organizations have called on the NBA to impose severe punishment on Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. after his arrest for assault in New York.
Porter was charged with assault and strangulation in an incident in New York City involving his girlfriend, WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick
Porter was arrested earlier this week and arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court
In addition to the local group, the National Organization for Women (NOW) also issued a statement to TMZ.
“The NBA and the Houston Rockets have a choice here: condone or condemn,” NOW President Christian F. Nunes told the newspaper.
“Does the NBA merely allow a transaction and in turn allow this type of behavior? Or will the NBA stand up to domestic violence and hold players accountable?”
“Kysre Gondrezick was hospitalized with brutal injuries – this shouldn’t be a conversation about which team takes Kevin Porter. It should be about him no longer being in the league due to a domestic violence arrest.”
That last part comes after reports yesterday indicated that the Rockets are looking to trade Porter – and are even considering giving up draft compensation to take him off their team.
It’s possible the Rockets could waive Porter if they see fit, but that would require them to pay a significant portion of the four-year, $63 million deal he signed in October 2022.
According to SpotracPorter is owed $15.86 million this season. His deal would see him partially guaranteed the same amount in the 2024/25 season.
The Houston Rockets are exploring the possibility of signing guard Kevin Porter Jr. to exchange, according to reports
Under the terms of his contract, $1 million of the $15.86 million he is owed next season is already guaranteed starting July 1 of this year. He is guaranteed an additional $3 million on Opening Night of 2023, with another $6 million added five days after this season’s trade deadline.
If the Rockets were to waive Porter, they would have to buy out his contract for at least the combined $16.86 million he has been guaranteed thus far.
Porter’s deal is not guaranteed through the 2025-2026 season and the team has a club option to retain him through the 2026-2027 season before he ultimately becomes a free agent in the summer of 2027.
Gondrezick went to the hospital after an alleged assault at the Milennium Hotel in New York City. The NYPD told DailyMail.com that Gondrezick had a laceration on the right side of her face when police arrived, and a preliminary investigation revealed she had been struck multiple times.
She was taken to hospital with at least one broken bone and bruises after the alleged attack NBC.
The NBA player had reportedly returned from a night out early Monday morning. Gondrezick, unhappy with how late he returned, locked the door.
Once Porter entered the room — with the help of hotel security — he allegedly beat up Gondrezick.
This attack led to Porter being charged with second-degree assault and strangulation.
Gondrezick was found by police with lacerations on her neck and on the right side of her hotel
Gondrezick’s sister, Kalabrya Haskins, deleted a threat to Porter on Monday
In a statement, the Rockets said they are “in the process of gathering information regarding the matter” and that an investigation is underway.
Porter was released on $75,000 bail, with the judge ordering him to stay away from Gondrezick and placing a temporary protective order on him.
“This is a serious domestic violence case,” Assistant District Attorney Mirah Curzer said in court.
One of Gondrezick’s family members responded to the incident by threatening Porter on a now-expired Instagram story post.
Kalabrya Haskins — the widow of late quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who died at age 24 after being struck by a garbage truck on a Florida highway last year — shared the post.
“@kevinporterjr if you think you touched my sister and you weren’t touched,” Kalabrya wrote. ‘Count your damn days. You better hope and pray that you’ll ever be able to walk again, let alone dribble.
“You may have gotten away with this in the past because your mother can’t beat you, but we beat up little punks every day with nail sissy b****es like you. Don’t show up at that crib. We’re going to do it to you. Little b***h.”