Getty Image / Alex Bierens de Haan
Kevin Porter Jr. was, at one time, one of the most talented young players in the NBA. That is, until his career totally blew up after he was arrested for domestic violence.
Since, he hasn’t played in the league due to his arrest and subsequent guilty plea, having spent last season at PAOK. But, the Los Angeles Clippers are taking a chance on the controversial 24-year-old, much to the dismay of many NBA fans.
“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,” Shams Charania tweeted.
It’s one thing for a team to sign a player that has had some legal troubles in the past. But, generally, teams and fans take arrests for domestic violence more seriously than other charges or off-the-field problems due in part to the negative PR backlash.
Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested in New York City in September 2023 for assault and strangulation against his then-girlfriend, WNBA player, Kysre Gondrezick. Gonrdrezick alleged that Kevin Porter Jr. punched her and choked her, and doctors at a local hospital said that she fractured a vertebrae in her neck.
He ended up pleading guilty to misdemeanor reckless assault, but it’s hard to stomach for many wh at Kevin Porter Jr. did to Gonrezick.
Apparently, the Clippers feel as though he’s served his time, so to speak. They’re willing to take a chance on a guy who averaged 19-5-5 for the Houston Rockets in 2022-2023 as a 22-year-old
People aren’t thrilled abut that choice, to say the least.
“The fact that the NBA hasn’t gotten around to suspending Kevin Porter Jr. yet – enabling him to be rehabilitated back into the league despite beating the shit out of a woman last year – is unbelievably nasty. This league’s tolerance of domestic violence is enraging,” @Velodus said on Twitter.