Kevin Porter knew that the Clippers' “Media Day” was going to put him to the test, a little less than a year after his ouster from the NBA. Accused of having strangled his former partner, Kysre Gondrezick, shortly before the start of the last season, he was then sent to Oklahoma City, who cut him immediately.
His behavior having already led to his departure from Cleveland, the 24-year-old rearguard could this time have definitely left the Big League, despite his obvious potential. But after avoiding prison, Kevin Porter Jr. returned to the circuit in Greece, at PAOK Salonika, to finish the 2023/2024 season, before being asked again by the NBA, and the Clippers, inclined to offer him a second chance.
An upcoming suspension from the NBA?
“I am responsible for everything that happens. The league will do what it has to do, and I'm ready for that.”, he confidedwhile the NBA could suspend him. “I have to learn, to experience certain things. And I feel like today I’m the best version of myself, so it’s all good.”
On the sidelines of his return, Kevin Porter Jr. continues to undergo therapy sessions as part of his sentence. The former USC resident knows in any case that he cannot waste this second chance.
“I always believed in myself. I know my truth, so I am not discouraged”he concluded. “It’s one of the best jobs an athlete can ask for in the world. I saw all that taken away from me. It's something that puts you back in place, when you ask yourself what you want to do with the rest of your life. So I'm grateful to be back, and I'm going to do everything I can to stay as long as possible.”
| Kevin Porter, Jr. | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | KEY | 50 | 23 | 44.2 | 33.5 | 72.3 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 10.0 |
| 2020-21 | HOU | 26 | 32 | 42.5 | 31.1 | 73.4 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 16.6 |
| 2021-22 | HOU | 61 | 31 | 41.5 | 37.5 | 64.2 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 6.2 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 15.6 |
| 2022-23 | HOU | 10 | 34 | 39.8 | 36.0 | 81.0 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 5.1 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 19.7 |
| Total | 147 | 29 | 42.2 | 35.3 | 70.2 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 14.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
