With the surge of interest in the WNBA following the ascendent rise of Caitlin Clark, the league has eyes on it in a way it never has before. This also means that people are interested in the players the same way die-hards are with the NBA.
One player that’s had quite the rocky road is Kysre Gondrezick, who played for both the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, and had to deal with some domestic assault issues with an NBA player she was dating. So, what exactly happened to her?
For some background, Gondrezick is the daughter of late former NBA player Grant Gondrezick and college player Lisa Harvey, who won a championship with Louisiana Tech. She was drafted as the 4th pick in the 2021 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, and the team eventually waived her in January of 2022.
From there, she went to the Chicago Sky for the team’s 2022 camp but was waived in May after she didn’t earn a spot on the team’s final roster. Around this time, she was dating Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.
In September of 2023, she was hospitalized with cuts on her face and marks from apparent strangulation on her neck. Porter was arrested and charged with assault and strangulation following the incident. Gondrezick told police she was punched in the face multiple times, causing the abrasions, and medical tests showed that a vertebrae in her neck was fractured as well.
At the time, the Houston Rockets released a statement saying, “We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr. We have no further comment at this time.”
In a surprising twist, Gondrezick walked back her statements and told the New York Post that he never hit her at all.
“He didn’t hit me. He never balled his fists up and hit me,” Gondrezick said. “And he definitely didn’t punch me in the face numerous times. That is a lie. I don’t have any injuries to support that.”
Assistant District Attorney Mirah Curzer eventually conceded that the injuries on her face were caused by a congenital defect. This led to a lesser charge for Porter. In January 2024, Porter agreed to a deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to a harassment violation and misdemeanor assault.
From there, Gondrezick once more tried out for the Chicago Sky in February during the team’s training camp. This time, she made the opening day roster, but she only played five games with just three minutes on the court per game. She was once again waived by the team at the end of June 2024.