Rockets' Porter fined $50K for going to Miami club

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was fined $50,000 for violating the NBA's health and safety protocols for going to a club in Miami on April 19, the same date that teammate Sterling Brown was attacked outside the venue, the league announced Wednesday.

The NBA's pandemic protocols "prohibit attending indoor gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, clubs, lounges, and similar establishments," the league's statement read.

Porter, Brown, and other Rockets teammates visited a Miami strip club 20 minutes from the team hotel in Coral Gables. Brown was assaulted after he reportedly mistakenly entered the wrong vehicle as they attempted to leave in the early hours of April 19.

Brown suffered significant lacerations to his face and body and required surgery at a Miami hospital.

Officers of the Miami-Dade Police Department said that Brown and an unnamed person were not cooperative when officials arrived on the scene following the assault. Body-cam footage provided by the police shows Porter and a bloodied Brown having a heated discussion with officers.

Porter was placed in protocols after a game against the Miami Heat the evening of the 19th, and he missed three games before playing 35 minutes in Tuesday's defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The $50,000 penalty is the maximum a player can be fined without the ability to file a grievance. Former Rockets star James Harden received the same punishment for attending an indoor function in December in violation of health and safety protocols.