Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. fined for strip-club incident

Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. reportedly got roughed up when he stepped in as teammate Sterling Brown got jumped outside a Miami strip club last week.

Porter also violated the NBA’s coronavirus protocols.

NBA release:

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. has been fined $50,000 for violating the league’s Health and Safety Protocols, which among other things prohibit attending indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.

Porter Jr. violated these rules when he attended a club in Miami on April 19.

Marc Stein of The New York Times:

No fine is forthcoming for Houston’s Sterling Brown, @NYTSports has learned, after Brown sustained severe injuries on that unauthorized night out.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 28, 2021

The league’s investigation into the Houston Rockets’ stay in Miami is closed, I’m told, unless new information surfaces to merit reopening it.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 28, 2021

Porter missed three games in the aftermath of the incident before returning to the lineup Tuesday. However – unlike with Kyrie Irving – the NBA did not announce Porter would forfeit any salary for games missed due to his protocol violation.

It’s unclear why Porter was the only Houston player punished. Brown was also at the strip club. Other Rockets players were reportedly there, too.

But Brown has already suffered plenty, and the NBA has enforced its coronavirus protocols sympathetically. The Rockets also reportedly didn’t eagerly cooperate with this investigation.