Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. has pleaded not guilty to felony assault and strangulation charges in connection with the incident Monday at the Millennium Hilton near the United Nations in Manhattan, according to ESPN.
Porter, 23, is alleged to have attacked his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, at a New York City hotel that left the woman with a fractured neck vertebra and a cut above her right eye, per prosecutors.
Prosecutors said he didn’t stop until his girlfriend ran out into the hallway covered in blood, per the report.
Porter, who had been in police custody since his arrest around 6:45 a.m. Monday and was released on $75,000 bail Tuesday, was not required to enter a plea during his brief court appearance and is now ordered to stay away from Gondrezick, 26.
“This is a serious domestic violence case,” Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Mirah Curzer said during the court proceedings. Additionally, Curzer said Porter has a history of abusing Gondrezick, including an incident in which he rammed his car into hers.
Porter is due back in court in Manhattan on October 16th, the same day that the Rockets are scheduled for a preseason game in San Antonio, just two short weeks ahead of the start of the 2023-2024 regular season.
Porter’s situation will continue to be monitored by NBA journalists and reporters.
Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game last season with Houston, which earned him a four-year contract extension.
