Kevin Porter Jr.'s relationship with Steve Ballmer driving force in second chance

The guard was out of the NBA last season following a domestic assault charge.

(Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- This time last year, Kevin Porter Jr. was barred from having any interaction with his then-employer, the Houston Rockets, following being formally charged with assault and strangulation of his girlfriend. Porter was then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder late last October and subsequently waived.

What followed was Porter reaching a plea deal in January, opting to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault and a harassment violation. As a result, Porter became persona non grata around league circles, forcing the 24-year-old into heading overseas.

That led Porter to Greece, where he played six games for PAOK, averaging 22.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in 38.2 minutes. Porter shot 46.7% from the field overall in those six contests and also had the first triple-double in Greek Basket League playoff history when he put up 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a loss against rival Panathinaikos.

But it was a bond formed years ago in Seattle that aided the guard in getting to where he is today: back in the NBA and playing in Los Angeles once again, where he starred at USC.

Porter and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer go way back—so far back that Porter was in the fourth grade the first time he and Ballmer crossed paths. Then, Porter was playing for a local AAU team in Seattle, A PLUS, while sharing the court with Ballmer’s son.

“He’s been knowing me since grade school,” Porter told select media during a scrum at the team’s media day festivities. “I’ve always had the utmost respect for Steve.”

“When I found out that [Steve Ballmer] wanted to own a basketball team, I was like, what are the odds if I was still having to play for him, the team that he was down as ownership for?” Porter said. “Fast forward 10 years later; I’m here with him as owner of the Clippers, and I play for him. So it was definitely a full circle moment coming back here, and I thank Steve for everything really.”

The bond that Ballmer and Porter have shared dating back all those years has allowed for the pair to enjoy a very unique relationship, one that sees Ballmer’s door open for the young guard.

“Me and Steve’s relationship is very, very honest and very open,” Porter told reporters. “He basically told me what it was and showed me grace and believes in me, showed me that he believes in me and wants this to work and succeed. So, that gave me the most confidence coming here and wanting to be a professional and be a part of this family for as long as I can be.”

Porter told reporters that the Clippers weren’t the only team interested in his services this offseason, as he turned down those overtures to come back to Los Angeles.

“Definitely had options, but Clippers gave me the best assurance when it comes to being welcomed in a basketball position, so it was a no-brainer for sure,” Porter said.

“Me and the Clippers, we’ve had a nice relationship before any of this, so it’s kind of been a family type of thing with us. Lawrence [Frank] is a great dude and he’s always seen my talent and Steve Ballmer; the man, he loves basketball and he knows talent, so they seen me and they gave me the opportunity to come back.”

For Porter, though, there will still be questions surrounding whether he deserves this second chance after pleading guilty in January. The last year has seen the guard learn a lot about himself, and it’s led him back to this point, he says.

“Honestly, it’s been a beautiful journey,” Porter said in the scrum. “I got to learn myself [over the last year], experience some things, and I feel like this is the best version of myself, so it’s been good.”

There will be an off-the-court aspect of Porter’s time in Los Angeles as well, something the team has set up for him.

“With the Clippers specifically, I have a program set just to keep things easy for me when it comes to off the court, and it’s been great,” Porter said when asked about how the team has worked with him. “I also have my own little setup since last September, so I’ve been honoring that, and it’s been dope. Like I said, it’s just learning myself, so it’s a beautiful thing.”

And what has Porter learned about himself?

“A lot. I can’t say everything, but just a brief, just my upbringing, the triggers and things, and with experiences, the meaning of experience and learning from it.”

Porter mentioned to reporters that counseling is not foreign to him, saying he views it as a “resource” of sorts.

“I’ve been familiar with counseling all my life,” Porter said. “So, definitely something that I do as a resource anytime I feel like it’s needed. So that’s nothing; it wasn’t influenced from this situation. It’s always been a source for me, so it’s been helping now, for sure.”

The 24-year-old Porter understands the opportunity he’s receiving with the Clippers, and it’s not something he wants to let slip through.

“This is the, if not number one, top-two best jobs you can ask for as an athlete, as a person,” Porter explained. “So, I seen that get taken away, and then it just puts you in a place with what you want to do for the rest of your life. So I’m very grateful to be back, and I’m going to do everything I can and stay as long as I want to. I want to take my retirement.”

If things go right for Porter, retirement will be a long way off in the distance for him. The talent is there, and it’s something the Clippers are banking on.

In May, following the team’s first-round loss, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank openly talked about the margins that the franchise was attempting to navigate when it came to roster building.

“The way we looked at roster building, especially because we don’t have an embarrassment of riches in draft picks, we have to take some swings on young players,” said Frank then. “Maybe right, maybe wrong, but we developed that kind of third line of players, not just our two-ways, for swings on young guys, some fallen angels, guys that may have been lottery picks that showed in the NBA minutes that they can do it.”

Porter fits the bill as one of those players, as he’s averaged 15.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.3 rebounds over 196 NBA games.

There’s no word yet on whether or not the NBA will suspend Porter for the beginning of the season, as the league has resumed their investigation of the guard following last year’s incident.

“I’m accountable for whatever comes,” Porter told reporters. “The league’s going to do what the league does, and I’m ready for it.”