"He should be in jail": Stephen A. Smith calls for Kevin Porter Jr.'s NBA expulsion amid assault allegations

Sports TV personality Stephen A. Smith has condemned, in the strongest possible terms, Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. amid assault allegations against him.

Porter was arrested and charged with assault and strangulation for an incident that occurred in a New York hotel on Monday morning, September 11.

The incident involved his girlfriend, WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, who according to reports, sustained a laceration to the right side of her face and was experiencing pain in her neck.

Preliminary investigation determined that she was struck allegedly by Kevin Porter Jr. multiple times and that he also placed his hands around her neck.

In a recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith took time to discuss the incident and said that the Houston Rockets guard should dearly pay if the investigation finds him guilty of the charges.

The fiery sports journalist said:

“Ladies and gentlemen, he (Porter) should be in jail. He should not only be in jail … It should be announced that he is no longer part of the Houston Rockets effective immediately. And the NBA should follow the NFL’s rule, pertaining to prohibiting you from wearing an NBA uniform, being inside an NBA arena, playing in an NBA game until the investigation is complete.”

Stephen A. Smith added that violence against women is wrong and should not be condoned.

“You don’t put your hands on a woman. It’s something you simply do not do. And for Kevin Porter Jr. to do this, he has besmirched the name of the Houston Rockets. He has besmirched the NBA brand. He has sullied his damn name,” he added.

Following the incident, the Rockets are reportedly no longer interested in retaining Porter and are considering trading him.

Last season, Porter had a banner season, posting career-highs of 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. He also averaged 5.7 assists for the Rockets, who finished with a 22-60 record.

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Another hit to Kevin Porter Jr.’s career

The latest off-court trouble is yet another hit to the career of Kevin Porter Jr.

In November 2020, the 23-year-old was arrested on a weapons charge by Mahoning County. He did not get indicted on those charges, courtesy of a grand jury's verdict. It, however, affected his standing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who picked him 30th overall in the 2019 rookie draft. He did not play a single game for them afterward because of the incident.

He was then traded to the Houston Rockets, where he steadily redeemed himself.

But in January last year, Kevin Porter, Jr. was involved in another controversy when he threw an object in the locker room amid a heated argument with assistant coach John Lucas. He was issued a one-game suspension for his actions.

He had seemingly stayed away from trouble until the latest incident with Kysre Gondrezick.