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Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff Writer
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested on charges of assault and strangulation after an incident at a New York hotel Monday morning, a New York City police spokesperson said.
Police responded to a 911 call reporting an assault at 6:45 a.m. and arrested Porter, 23, after an investigation. Both charges are felonies.
The incident involved Porter’s girlfriend, a former WNBA player, sources told ABC News.
“Upon arrival officers were informed that a 26-year-old female sustained a laceration to the right side of her face and was complaining about pain to her neck,” the spokesperson said. “A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a known individual struck her multiple times upon her body and placed his hands around the neck.”
The woman was transported to the hospital for evaluation, the police spokesperson said.
“We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr.,” the Rockets said in a statement. “We have no further comment at this time.”
Porter signed a four-year contract extension worth as much as $82.5 million last season. Only the $15.9 million salary for this season is fully guaranteed in the deal, which is uniquely structured due to Porter’s history of off-court issues.
Porter was the No. 30 pick in the 2019 draft after spending one season at USC, where he was suspended due to conduct issues. He played his rookie season for the Cleveland Cavaliers but did not join the team the next season due to personal reasons. He was traded to the Rockets for a top-55-protected second-round pick in January 2021 in the wake of a shouting match with Cleveland team officials.