Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. pleaded not guilty to felony assault and strangulation charges of former WNBA player and girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick.
Porter’s Case
Porter, 23, was arrested Monday night after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in a New York City Hotel. He pleaded not guilty in his arraignment Tuesday. During the hearing, prosecutors revealed Gondrezick sustained a fractured neck vertebra and a deep cut above her eye.
Sources told ABC News that Gondrezick was reportedly upset at Porter’s after staying all night and locked him out. He reportedly entered the room with the help of hotel security and began to attack her.
According to reports, the prosecutor detailed the alleged gruesome incident. It was stated that the attack only stopped when Gondrezick ran into the hotel hallway covered in blood. The judge granted an order of protection and Porter was released on 75,000 cash bail.
Gondrezick, 26, told police officers he struck her “repeatedly causing lacerations” and applied “pressure to her neck by forcefully squeezing it, causing her to experience difficulty breathing, redness and bruising to her neck, and substantial pain,” the criminal complaint stated.
After the incident in the Millennium Hilton, she was taken to NYU Langone Medical Center.
The NBA star has had a history of off-court problems during his 4-year career in the NBA. During the 2021-2022 season, he was suspended after a reported altercation between him and then Rockets head coach, Stephen Silas.
Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Mirah Cruzer stated Porter has shown a history of abuse against Gondrezick including an incident where he rammed his cars into hers.
Porter is set to return to court on Oct.16. The Houston Rockets have yet to make a decision on Porter’s status with the team and said they are “gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr. We have no further comment at this time.”