Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. charged with strangling girlfriend

(NEW YORK) — Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested in New York City on Monday for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, police sources told ABC News.

Porter, 23, was formally charged with assault and strangulation.

On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty and was released on $75,000 cash bail. The judge imposed a temporary order of protection.

Porter returned early Monday morning from an evening out to the Millennium Hilton near U.N. Plaza, where he and Gondrezick were staying. Gondrezick was upset with the late hour of his return and locked the door, according to police sources. Once he entered with the help of hotel security, Porter beat up the woman, the sources said.

Gondrezick told police Porter struck her “repeatedly about the face with a closed fist, causing a laceration above her right eye and bruising and substantial pain to her face,” according to the criminal complaint.

She said Porter 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 complaint said.

Gondrezick was taken NYU Langone Medical Center, where doctors said she suffered a fractured vertebrae in her neck.

Porter is due back in court on Oct. 16.

The pair was in New York City for Fashion Week. Porter and Gondrezick were photographed at the Vogue Smart Tox NYFW Kickoff event on Sept. 7.

Porter was drafted with the No. 30 pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of the University of Southern California, but has developed into a star player for the Rockets. He had his best career season in 2022-23 with 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.

Gondrezick, 26, played college basketball for Michigan and West Virginia, before being drafted No. 4 overall in the 2021 WNBA draft by Indiana. She played one season for the Fever before being waived. She has not played the last two WNBA seasons and is currently a free agent.

Porter was previously arrested in November 2020 in Ohio on a weapons charge, but a grand jury declined to indict him. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers made him inactive for the first half of the season and he was traded to Houston in January 2021.

ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

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