Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets guard, will lose time due to a violation of NBA safety and health protocols resulting from a visit to a Miami strip club with teammate Sterling Brown, who provoked Brown’s aggression, sources told ESPN.
Porter will likely be out until at least Sunday, Rockets coach Stephen Silas said ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz. NBA safety and health protocols limit the places players can go while on the road.
Miami-Dade police said Brown had “multiple lacerations to his body” when they arrived at the strip club at 6:53 a.m. Monday in response to a fight. Brown, who has been sidelined for a knee injury, was taken to a local hospital.
The Rockets announced before Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat that Brown was suffering facial lacerations due to an assault by assailants with whom he “had no prior knowledge or interaction” and would fully recover.
Brown returns to Houston recovering.
“He was attacked and has blows, bruises and things like that,” Silas said, “so things like that usually get a little worse … before they get better.”
Silas said he spoke with Brown on Tuesday and contacted Wednesday, but that he had not contacted him at the time. He said Brown is seeing doctors and working with team training staff as he recovers.
“The most important thing for me is that he knows we’re behind 100% and we have our backs and we want him to get healthy soon, come back and come back with his teammates and all that stuff,” Silas said. .
The Rockets acquired 20-year-old Porter in a January deal after the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to change or resign from the 2019 first-round selection due to off-track problems. Houston waived the protected choice among the top 55 in the second round in the deal.
Porter’s performance has been one of the bright spots in a Rockets rebuilding season, which sent him into the G-League bubble before making his Houston debut. He has averaged 15.5 points and 6.2 assists in 21 Rockets games.
Silas said he often talks to his team about league safety and health protocols and the importance of following them.
“Today we talked about a lot of things that weren’t just sterling things,” he said. “And we’ve definitely talked about this as a group … for the last two days … so they know absolutely where I’m standing when it comes to that kind of thing. with this group. It is a coherent communication with the group “.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.