Los Angeles Clippers sign former NBA player charged with domestic violence from Greek league

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: June 30, 2024

Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Teams can officially negotiate contracts with NBA free agents, and the Los Angeles Clippers have already struck a deal. While no contracts can become official until July 6, multiple reports are already confirming the Clippers have a pending agreement with one of their targets.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Clippers have agreed to sign former Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. It’s a two-year contract for Porter, which includes a player option for the second season.

Kevin Porter Jr. has agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, including a player option, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. After six weeks of strong play in Greece in April and May, Porter had multiple NBA suitors and chose the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/0R19BUW6bu
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2024

Notably, Porter decided to play basketball in Greece last season after being unable to find anyone in the NBA interested in signing him to a contract. Porter averaged 22 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.8 steals across six domestic league matches, which included the first triple-double in Greek Basket League playoff history.

Yet, there’s a reason NBA teams didn’t previously show interest in Porter Jr, who was charged with domestic violence back in Sept. 2023 after allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend and WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick.

Less than a month later, Houston traded Porter to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who immediately waived him from his contract. This came just a year after the Rockets signed Porter to a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension. Roughly three months after Porter was arrested, he accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault and second-degree harassment.

Kevin Porter Jr. stats (career): 15.3 PPG, 5 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 35.7% 3PT

Now, as Charania noted, Porter had multiple NBA suitors targeting a contract with Porter, who’s still just 24 years old. There’s no word on the financial terms of the contract he’s receiving with Los Angeles, but Porter brings a career scoring average of 15.3 PPG, and his most recent season saw him average 19.2 PPG.