Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. arrested for allegedly assaulting woman at New York hotel

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested Monday on domestic violence charges for allegedly assaulting a woman at a New York hotel, according to the New York Police Department.

"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," NYPD 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."

Porter, 23, was charged with assault and strangulation, both of which are felonies.

The woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said.

The Rockets acknowledged they were aware of the alleged incident and had no further comment.

"We are aware of the reports regarding Kevin Porter Jr.," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. "The league office is in contact with the Houston Rockets and in the process of gathering more information."

Before last season, Porter signed a four-year, $63.4 million extension that kicks in this season. Only the first year of the contract is fully guaranteed, according to Spotrac. Porter has played four NBA seasons, the past three with the Rockets where he has emerged as a starter who averaged a career-high 19.2 points in 59 games in 2022-23.

Porter was suspended indefinitely from the University of Southern California basketball team as a freshman. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him No. 30 in 2019 and traded him to the Rockets during his rookie season following an outburst that included yelling and throwing food after when his locker was moved and a confrontation with Cavs general manager Koby Altman.

While with the Cavs, Porter was arrested following a single-vehicle accident and charged with improperly handling a firearm in a vehicle, failure to control a vehicle, driving without a license and possession of marijuana. A grand jury declined to indict Porter on the gun charge, and the license and marijuana charges were dropped. He admitted fault for failure to control a vehicle.