Houston Rockets security guard Kevin Porter Jr. will miss time due to a violation of NBA health and safety protocols as a result of visiting a Miami strip club with teammate Sterling Brown, which resulted in Brown’s assault, 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. The NBA’s health and safety protocols limit where players can travel.
Miami-Dade police said Brown had “multiple cuts through 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 by a knee injury, was transported to a local hospital.
The Rockets announced before Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat that Brown had suffered a facial tear from an attack by attackers with whom he “had no prior knowledge or interaction” and that he would make a full recovery.
Brown is on the mend in Houston.
“He’s been attacked and he’s got bumps and bruises and things like that,” said Silas, “so things like that usually get a little bit worse … before it gets better.”
Silas said he spoke to Brown on Tuesday and reached out on Wednesday, but then failed to contact him. He said Brown visits doctors and works with the team’s training staff while he recovers.
“The most important thing for me is that he knows we are 100% behind him and have his back and want him to get well soon, come back and come back with his teammates and all that stuff,” said Silas.
The Rockets acquired Porter, 20, in a January deal after the Cleveland Cavaliers decided they would trade or waive the 2019 first round due to issues out of court. Houston got a top 55 protected second round in the deal against.
Porter’s performance was one of the bright spots in a rebuilding season for the Rockets, sending him to the G League bubble before making his Houston debut. He has averaged 15.5 points and 6.2 assists in 21 games for the Rockets.
Silas said he often talks to his team about the competition’s health and safety protocols and the importance of following them.
“Today we talked about a lot of things that weren’t just the Sterling things,” he said. ‘And we’ve definitely talked about that as a group … for the past few days … so they definitely know where I stand when it comes to things like that. And it is not just any one-off conversation we have with this group. That is consistent communication with the group. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.