Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.’s alleged assault of former Indiana Fever guard Kysre Gondrezick left her with a fractured neck vertebra and a cut above her right eye, prosecutors revealed Tuesday.
Gondrezick and Porter, her boyfriend, were staying at a hotel in New York City for Fashion Week. Porter returned to their room early Monday morning, but Gondrezick, upset with his late return, locked the door. After Porter gained entry to the room with help from hotel security, he assaulted Gondrezick, ABC News reported.
Porter, 23, was arrested Monday morning. While he was released Tuesday on $75,000 bail, he has been ordered to stay away from Gondrezick. He has pled not guilty to felony assault and strangulation charges.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft, Gondrezick, 27, played 19 games for the Indiana Fever in 2021. She was waived ahead of the 2022 season, and she has not played the last two seasons.
Porter, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of USC, has played with Houston for the last three seasons.
“We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr.,” the Rockets said in a statement Monday. “We have no further comment at this time.” The NBA issued a similar statement.
Porter was traded to Houston from the Cleveland Cavaliers after a locker room outburst in January 2021, the last in a series of issues during his time with the Cavaliers. Porter was suspended for one game as a rookie for making contact with an official, and then was arrested during the 2020 offseason for improper handling of a firearm.