Houston Rockets guard Sterling Brown is recovering after he was assaulted in Miami on Monday, April 19, 2021, while leaving a strip club. The Rockets were in town to square off against the Miami Heat when he was attacked for allegedly getting on the wrong bus. The attack was so vicious that his coaches and teammates feared for his life.
Brown and some of his teammates visited the Booby Trap around midnight on Monday. The Rockets were in town early Sunday night for Monday’s game against the Heat after playing the Orlando Magic Sunday afternoon. According to reports from The Athletic, Brown entered the wrong sprinter van on his way out of the club and had a heated exchange with three or more individuals who appeared to possess the same kind of sprinter at the time.
Brown was then jumped by the assailants and hit in the head with a bottle. His teammate Kevin Porter Jr. was also roughed up when he tried to intervene, but is fine now. According to a Miami-Dade Police Department report obtained by The Athletic, police found Brown “with multiple lacerations throughout his body” after responding to a call about a fight.
The NBA player “kept insisting he did not want to provide his information,” according to the police report and was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital after 7 a.m. Sources also told The Athletic that Brown’s face was “jacked up” and “blood was everywhere” before being discharged Monday afternoon.
Prior to the team’s game against the Heat on Monday night, Rockets coach Stephen Silas confirmed that he had spoken with Brown since the incident and that 26-year old guard will be alright. Brown has not played since April 10 because of a knee injury.
“Last night, Sterling Brown was the victim of an assault. He had no prior knowledge of or interaction with the assailants. He suffered facial lacerations but will make a full recovery. Sterling is not playing tonight because of a prior knee injury,” explained a statement from The Rockets to the media.
The NBA is looking into the incident and will also enact an investigation, as its COVID-19 restrictions restrict players from visiting bars and clubs.
