What happened to Kevin Porter? NBA star leaves game early after heated argument with coach

During the Houston Rockets' game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, point guard Kevin Porter Jr. exited the Toyota Centre at halftime. Porter reportedly departed the arena after a heated argument with assistant coach John Lucas in the locker room. According to multiple reports, Lucas chastised many players at halftime, including Porter and Christian Wood, for their performance in the first half, which was deemed unsatisfactory by Rockets head coach Stephen Silas in the post-match press conference.

Porter is believed to have hurled an object in the dressing room after losing his cool during an argument with Lucas. According to reports, Porter had to be separated from Lucas during the heated discussion at halftime, when the Rockets were down 77-55. The Rockets initially attributed Porter's absence to a thigh injury that kept him out of 15 games earlier this season. Porter, though, was later said to have left the arena in his car after the altercation with Lucas. Porter had scored 8 points in the game before leaving the arena in exasperation. 

Wood, on the other hand, is said to have refused to join the team for the second half after an argument with Lucas. As far as the game between Houston and Denver is concerned, the Nuggets won the match 124-111 courtesy of some brilliant play by Nikola Jokic, who scored 24 points. 

Porter's controversies

This is not the first time Porter has found himself embroiled in a controversy. Earlier this year, Porter was released by the Cavaliers after he reportedly got into a heated argument with general manager Koby Altman after his locker was moved with younger players. Porter even threw food while arguing with Altman which resulted in him being asked to leave the clean out his stuff and leave the team. 

In November 2020, Porter was charged by the police for possession of weapons and marijuana. All charges against Porter were later dropped. In April this year, Porter was fined $50,000 for breaking NBA's health and safety protocols. Porter is said to have violated the health and safety protocols by visiting a nightclub with teammate Sterling Brown, who was also assaulted during their brief outing and was left in blood after being hit on the back of his hit with glass bottles. 

Image: AP