Kevin Porter Jr.

Bryan Kevin Porter Jr. (born May 4, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on assignment to Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G-League. He played high school basketball for Rainier Beach High School and led the Vikings to the state playoffs in each of his four years. He played college basketball for the USC Trojans.

Kevin Porter Jr.
Porter with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019
No. 3 – Houston Rockets
PositionSmall forward / Shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-05-04) May 4, 2000
Seattle, Washington
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolRainier Beach
(Seattle, Washington)
CollegeUSC (2018–2019)
NBA draft2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30th overall
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2021Cleveland Cavaliers
2021–presentHouston Rockets
2021–present→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Porter was born in Seattle, Washington to Ayanna and Bryan Kevin Porter Sr.[1] His father played football, basketball, and baseball at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle in the 1990s. In July 2004, when Kevin Jr. was four years old, his father was shot five times and killed while trying to help someone being attacked.[2] As a result, he was raised by his mother, who became his role model.[3] Porter played sports to both pay homage to his late father and recover from the loss of him.[4]

High school career

Porter convinced his mother to enroll him at Rainier Beach High School instead of O'Dea High School in Seattle, because his father had played sports there and he wanted to preserve the tradition. In his senior campaign, he averaged 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists, as Rainier Beach finished with a 22–7 record.[1] On March 3, 2018, Porter recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds in a Class 3A state championship game loss to Garfield High School.[5] At the end of the season, he was named Washington Mr. Basketball by the state coaches association.[6]

Recruiting

Porter was considered a five-star recruit by recruiting services 247Sports and Rivals and a four-star recruit by ESPN.[7][8][9] He was the top-ranked player from Washington in the 2018 class and received offers from several NCAA Division I programs, including UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, before committing to USC.[7][10] Porter became the first USC player since DeMar DeRozan in 2008 to be rated a five-star recruit by Rivals.[1]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kevin Porter Jr.
SG		 Seattle, WA Rainier Beach (WA) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jul 2, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 16  247Sports: 27  ESPN: 40
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "USC 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  • "2018 USC Trojans Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 29, 2018.

    College career

    Porter debuted for USC on November 6, 2018, scoring 15 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting in an 83–62 win over Robert Morris.[11] On November 20, against Missouri State, he suffered a quadriceps contusion. He returned on December 1 versus Nevada but left after 4 minutes because he was hindered by the injury.[12] He missed nine games with a quad contusion, and returned again on January 10, 2019, scoring 5 points in 25 minutes.[13] Three days later, however, he was suspended indefinitely by USC for "personal conduct issues."[14] Regardless, Porter stated that he would finish the season with the team[15] and then played in the last three games of the season. He averaged 9.8 points, four rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 22 minutes a game, playing in 21 of USC's 33 games.[16]

    At the conclusion of his freshman season, Porter announced his intention to forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft.

    Professional career

    Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–2021)
    Porter at the grand opening of the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2019

    In the 2019 NBA draft, Porter was selected 30th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers via the Detroit Pistons.[17][18] On July 3, 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that they had signed Porter.[19] On October 23, 2019, Porter made his debut in the NBA, playing in a 85–94 loss to the Orlando Magic and finishing with 1 rebound, two assists and a steal.[20] His first NBA start for the Cavaliers would come on November 19, 2019, against the New York Knicks in a 123–105 loss where he recorded a then career high 18 points in 31 minutes. Later on February 25, 2020, Porter would record a new career high of 30 points, adding 3 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals in a 125–119 OT comeback win against the Miami Heat.

    Houston Rockets / Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2021–present)

    On January 21, 2021, Porter Jr. was traded to the Houston Rockets for a future protected second round pick.[21] He was later assigned to the Rockets' G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

    Personal life

    Weapons charge

    On November 15, 2020, Porter Jr. was charged by Mahoning County police following a single car accident for improper handling of a firearm in a vehicle. In a statement the Cleveland Cavaliers stated, "We are aware of the situation involving Kevin Porter Jr. and are in the process of gathering information. We have spoken with Kevin and will continue to address this privately with him as the related process evolves."[22]

    A grand jury in Mahoning County declined to indict Porter on the felony gun charge. Misdemeanor charges of driving without a license were also dropped.[23]

    Career statistics
    Legend
      GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
     FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
     RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
     BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

    Regular season
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2019–20 Cleveland 50323.2.442.335.7233.22.2.9.310.0
    Career 50323.2.442.335.7233.22.2.9.310.0

    College
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2018–19 USC 21422.1.471.412.5224.01.4.8.59.5

    Player profile

    Since the start of the 2018–19 season, Porter was projected as a first-round prospect for the 2019 NBA draft.[24] He looks up to James Harden, a fellow left-handed shooting guard.[16]

    References
    1. "Kevin Porter Jr". University of Southern California Athletics. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
    2. Evans, Jayda (February 24, 2017). "Kevin Porter Jr. lost his father when he was 4. Now he's living up to his legacy at Rainier Beach". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
    3. Blockus, Gary R. (June 2, 2018). "Previously Unheralded Kevin Porter Jr. Looks To Show He Belongs With USA Basketball". USA Basketball. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
    4. Cotterill, TJ (March 19, 2018). "Hothead? Bad attitude? No more. Kevin Porter Jr. found a father figure in Jamal Crawford to become state's best player". The News Tribune. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
    5. Evans, Jayda (March 3, 2018). "Brandon Roy gets second state title as Garfield works OT to beat Rainier Beach for 3A crown". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    6. Cotterill, TJ (February 26, 2018). "Mr. Basketball: Who do coaches say is the top high school basketball player in the state". The News Tribune. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    7. "Kevin Porter". ESPN. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    8. "Kevin Porter". Rivals. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    9. "Kevin Porter Jr". 247Sports. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    10. Goldberg, Rob (July 2, 2017). "4-Star SG Kevin Porter Jr. Announces Commitment to USC". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    11. "Nov 6, 2018 - Robert Morris 62, USC 83". RealGM. November 6, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    12. Kaufman, Joey (December 20, 2018). "USC's Kevin Porter Jr. still sidelined with thigh injury, but eyes a late December return". Orange County Register. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    13. "USC vs. Oregon State - Box Score". ESPN. January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    14. Bonagura, Kyle (January 13, 2019). "USC freshman Kevin Porter Jr. suspended indefinitely, coach says". ESPN. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    15. McCollough, J. Brady (January 14, 2019). "USC's Kevin Porter Jr. responds to his indefinite suspension from the team". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    16. https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/6/19/18684292/kevin-porter-jr-2019-nba-draft
    17. "Detroit Pistons Acquire Tony Snell and Draft Rights to 30th Pick Kevin Porter Jr". NBA.com. June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
    18. "Cavs Acquire Draft Rights to Kevin Porter Jr". NBA.com. June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
    19. "Cavaliers Sign Garland, Windler and Porter Jr". NBA.com. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
    20. "Magic, Vucevic beat Cavaliers in season opener". ESPN.com. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
    21. "Cavaliers Trade Kevin Porter Jr. to Houston". NBA.com. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
    22. Associated Press (November 15, 2020). "Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Porter Jr. arrested on weapon charge". ESPN. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
    23. Dennis, Justin (December 17, 2020). "Mahoning grand jury passes on firearm indictment for Cavs' Kevin Porter Jr". Mahoning Matters. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
    24. Woo, Jeremy (November 12, 2018). "NBA Draft Watch: USC's Kevin Porter Jr. Deserves Your Attention". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
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