Former Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets rising star Kevin Porter Jr. has found a new home, but it’s not in the NBA.
Porter has had a troubled history with the NBA despite his young age. Now, he gets another shot at basketball as he looks to revive his career.
Kevin Porter Jr. Heading Overseas
![Looking at Kevin Porter Jr.'s Troubled History After Getting 2nd Chance in Basketball 1 Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/USATSI_20237708_168400517_lowres-799x1024.jpg)
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Porter is joining Greek club PAOK for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. While terms of the deal have not been disclosed the 23-year-old is expected to be with the team soon.
“Four-year NBA guard Kevin Porter Jr. has agreed to a deal with Greek club PAOK for the rest of the season,” Charania reported. “Porter is expected to join the Greek club soon. The 23-year-old Porter was traded and waived in October. In January, he reached a plea deal in a New York City domestic assault case.”
Porter was taken 30th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a legitimate scoring threat for the team, averaging 10.0 points on top of 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his rookie season. By his second year, however, he was involved in plenty of off-court issues that forced the Cavs to send him to the Rockets.
In 26 games for the Rockets in 2020-21, Porter averaged 16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists. There were hopes that he learned his lesson, and it certainly appeared to be the case when he suit up and started in 61 games for Houston in 2021-22, averaging a 16/4/6 stat line.
![Looking at Kevin Porter Jr.'s Troubled History After Getting 2nd Chance in Basketball 2 Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/USATSI_20224820_168400517_lowres-699x1024.jpg)
His rise to a deadly scoring option and all-around contributor for the Rockets continued in 2022-23, when he tallied averages of 19.2 points, along with 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 59 outings.
Unfortunately, Porter’s troubles continued to haunt him.
Kevin Porter Jr.’s Troubled History With Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers
![Looking at Kevin Porter Jr.'s Troubled History After Getting 2nd Chance in Basketball 3 Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/USATSI_20157540-683x1024.jpg)
Kevin Porter Jr.’s disturbing history of poor behavior has been well-documented by the media, as New York Post detailed.
During his time in Cleveland, he was involved in a car crash that saw him charged with “improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, failure to control a motor vehicle and possession of marijuana.” All the charges were eventually dropped, but his problems didn’t stop there.
A reported outburst by Porter over his locker being moved then pushed Cleveland Cavaliers GM Koby Altman to say enough is enough, eventually moving him to the Houston Rockets.
Things seemed to be going well for Porter in Houston, and aside from violating the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols and rules in April of 2021, he stayed out of trouble at the start of his Rockets career.
But in January 2022, Porter had an altercation with then Rockets-assistant coach John Lucas, even throwing an object at him before leaving the arena and going home.
In September 2023 prior to the start of the season, Porter was arrested for felony assault after allegedly hitting and strangling her girlfriend at the time, WNBA star Kysre Gondrezick. Porter has since accepted a plea deal over the case in January.
It remains to be seen if Porter will be able to resurrect his basketball career or even have a chance to get back to the NBA. Hopefully, with PAOK, he can prove to his critics that he has changed.
![Looking at Kevin Porter Jr.'s Troubled History After Getting 2nd Chance in Basketball 4 Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/USATSI_20417968_168400517_lowres-683x1024.jpg)
For More Great Basketball Content
Follow me on Twitter at @BeatKit22 and follow us @HardwoodHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional sports, click here!