Fans in Greece are fanatical about their basketball and Kevin Porter Jr. becomes the latest United States player to make to move to the Mediterranean to jumpstart his career. In an unexpected move, the 6’4″ guard signed a contract with Greek side PAOK, based in the city of Thessaloniki.
Porter was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Oklahoma City Thunder last season but was waived shortly after an arrest. He played his last NBA game on April 8, 2023.
“I want to come back on the court, I have loved basketball since I was three years old,” said Porter Jr. via Eurohoops.net. “It’s a beautiful game, a beautiful sport. Having this opportunity is beautiful already. It’s gonna be a good one.”
Porter was a highly touted prospect out of high school and eventually committed to the USC Trojans. The talented guard had a successful season in Souther California and eventually opted for the NBA where he was selected in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2019 draft.
“I want to come back on the court, I have loved basketball since I was three years old. It’s a beautiful game, a beautiful sport. Having this opportunity is beautiful already. It’s gonna be a good one.”
– Kevin Porter Jr. on his next chapter with PAOK
(Via @Eurohoopsnet ) pic.twitter.com/4eIkUJ9S4i
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 3, 2024
Over four seasons in the NBA, Porter went on to play in 196 total games for the Cavaliers and Houston Rockets. He averaged 15.3 points, 5 assist, 4.3 rebounds and had a respectable .431 field goal percentage over his career.
At 23 years old, the young man still has a lot left in his legs and signing with a team where he features regularly could be the smart play.
