NYC, NY- Kevin Porter Jr., a guard for the Houston Rockets, was taken into custody in New York City on Monday following allegations of assaulting his girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick, a former player in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), according to law enforcement officials. The 23-year-old NBA player was charged with assault and strangulation.
The incident reportedly occurred early Monday morning at the Millennium Hilton near U.N. Plaza, where Porter and Gondrezick were staying. Law enforcement sources indicate that Gondrezick was displeased with Porter’s late return from an evening out and locked the door. Porter allegedly assaulted Gondrezick after gaining entry to the room with assistance from hotel security.
Gondrezick received medical treatment for a facial cut on her right side and neck pain. The couple was in New York City attending Fashion Week events. They were last seen together at the Vogue Smart Tox NYFW Kickoff event on September 7.
Porter, a University of Southern California alumnus, was the 30th pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He has emerged as a key player for the Rockets, posting his best season in 2022-23 with averages of 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
Gondrezick, 26, has a notable basketball career of her own. She played college basketball for Michigan and West Virginia before being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft to play with the Indiana Fever. After a single season with the Fever, she was waived and has not played in the past two WNBA seasons. She is currently a free agent.
This is not Porter’s first run-in with the law. In November 2020, he was arrested in Ohio on a weapons charge. Although a grand jury did not indict him, the incident led to his inactivity for the first half of the season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who later traded him to Houston in January 2021.