Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. declined a plea agreement and faces one less charge stemming from an alleged attack of his girlfriend at a New York City hotel in September.
Prosecutors revealed Monday during a hearing in Manhattan that the second-degree assault charge against Porter would be dropped due to “insufficient evidence” that he was responsible for fracturing one of Kysre Gondrezick’s neck vertebrae as initially presumed and charged by prosecutors during the arraignment.
Field Level Media policy is to not name alleged victims of domestic assault-related charges. Gondrezick, a former WNBA player, permitted her attorney to speak publicly on the matter.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mirah Curzer cited “insufficient evidence” as the reason for dropping the charge of second-degree assault, telling the criminal court judge the neck injury “was not in fact an injury caused by the defendant.” The New York Post reported prosecutors revealed a review of medical records showed Gondrezick suffered from a congenital neck issue.
Porter, who has been ordered to stay away from the Rockets since his Sept. 11 arrest, was reportedly offered a plea deal to lesser charges with the condition that he take part in counseling, but he rejected the offer.
He’s next scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 27 to face charges of second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault stemming from the incident at Millenium Hotel.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said the team has no additional comment on the matter, which is being reviewed under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Stone repeated at the Rockets’ media day last week that the allegations shared with the organization are “deeply troubling.”
“What’s left for the team to do is evaluate the best steps for our organization that remain in compliance with the league domestic violence policy,” he said. “This is now a league matter, and that’s where it’s at.”
Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 59 games (all starts) for the Rockets last season.
He signed a four-year, $82.5 million contract last October and is owed $15.9 million for the upcoming 2023-24 season. However, the deal is structured with only $1 million guaranteed for 2024-25 and no further guarantees.
–Field Level Media