Porter was born in Seattle, Washington to Ayanna and Bryan Kevin Porter Sr. His father played football, basketball, and baseball at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle in the 1990s. In July 2004, when Kevin Jr. was four years old, his father was shot five times and killed while trying to help someone being attacked. As a result, he was raised by his mother, who became his role model. Porter played sports to both pay homage to his late father and recover from the loss of him.
High school career
Porter convinced his mother to enroll him at Rainier Beach High School instead of O'Dea High School in Seattle, because his father had played sports there and he wanted to preserve the tradition. In his senior campaign, he averaged 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists, as Rainier Beach finished with a 22–7 record. On March 3, 2018, Porter recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds in a Class 3A state championship game loss to Garfield High School. At the end of the season, he was named Washington Mr. Basketball by the state coaches association.
Recruiting
Porter was considered a five-star recruit by recruiting services 247Sports and Rivals and a four-star recruit by ESPN. He was the top-ranked player from Washington in the 2018 class and received offers from several NCAA Division I programs, including UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, before committing to USC. Porter became the first USC player since DeMar DeRozan in 2008 to be rated a five-star recruit by Rivals.
College career
Porter debuted for USC on November 6, 2018, scoring 15 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting in an 83–62 win over Robert Morris. On November 20, against Missouri State, he suffered a quadriceps contusion. He returned on December 1 versus Nevada but left after 4 minutes because he was hindered by the injury. He missed nine games with a quad contusion, and returned again on January 10, 2019, scoring 5 points in 25 minutes. Three days later, however, he was suspended indefinitely by USC for "personal conduct issues." Regardless, Porter stated that he would finish the season with the team and then played in the last three games of the season. He averaged 9.8 points, four rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 22 minutesa game, playing in 21 of USC's 33 games. At the conclusion of his freshman season, Porter announced his intention to forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft.
Professional career
Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–present)
In the 2019 NBA draft, Porter was selected 30th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers via the Detroit Pistons. On July 3, 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that they had signed Porter. On October 23, 2019, Porter made his debut in the NBA, playing in a 85–94 loss to the Orlando Magic and finishing with 1 rebound, two assists and a steal.His first NBA start for the Cavaliers would come onNovember 19, 2019, against the New York Knicks in a 123–105 loss where he recorded a then career high 18 points in 31 minutes. Later on February 25, 2020, Porter would record a new career high of 30 points, adding 3 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals in a 125–119 OT comeback win against the Miami Heat.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
College
Player profile
Since the start of the 2018–19 season, Porter was projected as a first-round prospect for the 2019 NBA draft. He looks up to James Harden, a fellow left-handed shooting guard.
