Kevin Porter Jr. tried to protect his Houston Rockets teammate Sterling Brown during an assault at the strip club on Monday and faces severe consequences.
More details are coming to light about a bloodied assault on Houston Rockets player Sterling Brown at a strip club in Miami.
Apparently, teammate Kevin Porter Jr. stepped in to defend Brown from his assailants. Porter Jr. is expected to miss the next three NBA games at the very least after violating NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
During the assault, Brown suffered serious facial injuries and had to be taken to the hospital, but Porter Jr. was only “roughed up.” The second-year guard was healthy enough to play 31 minutes on Monday night against the Miami Heat, scoring 18 points and three assists.
It was only afterward, in an ongoing NBA investigation, that Porter Jr. was found to have violated protocols and will likely be fined.
Houston Rockets player Kevin Porter Jr. broke protocols by going to a strip club
Porter Jr. was just one of a group of Houston players who tried to protect Brown, and his efforts helped prevent Brown’s assailants from inflicting more damage.
However, Porter Jr. faces consequences for going to the club in the first place. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the NBA has strict procedures that limit what players can do and where they can go while on the road. In December, when former teammate James Harden was captured on video at a club, the league also enforced COVID-19 protocols and sequestered him from team activities.
For now, Porter Jr.’s absence may not affect the Rockets too much, since their next three games will be almost impossible to win as they face top-seeded playoff teams.
In the aftermath, Rockets coach Stephen Silas has made it clear to his players that they need to follow the league’s health and safety protocols. Silas said, “It’s not just a one-time conversation that we have with this group. That’s consistent communication with the group.”
Here’s to hoping Sterling Brown makes a speedy recovery and players stop going to strip clubs during the pandemic.