(SportsRadio 610) -- Sterling Brown's injuries from an assault earlier this week in Miami were serious enough his Rockets teammates and coaches feared for his life, according to a report by The Athletic.
Before the Rockets played the second game of a back-to-back against the Heat on Monday night, they announced Brown had been the victim of an assault.
There were few details revealed about the incident. The Rockets acknowledged Brown suffered facial lacerations, but said he would make a full recovery and was being held out of Monday night's game because of a prior knee injury.
The Athletic's Shams Charania and Kelly Iko report Brown was part of several Rockets players to visit the Booby Trap strip club. According to Charania and Iko, the Rockets strategically booked the team hotel in Coral Gables, instead of downtown Miami, in part to keep the players from the Miami nightlife.
This, however, did not prevent a group of players from taking the 20-minute trip to Booby Trap.
"Sources said Brown entered the wrong sprinter van on his way out of the club and had a heated exchange of words with three or more individuals who appeared to possess the sprinter at the time. It escalated into all of those individuals jumping Brown, physically beating him up, hitting him in the head with a bottle and leaving blood everywhere, sources told The Athletic. One source said the individuals cracked Brown’s head with the bottle, while another said once Brown was struck in the back of the head during the altercation, it led to him having a very hazy memory of the event. He was admitted into the hospital after 7 a.m."
Kevin Porter Jr., a key second-year player who the Rockets traded for earlier this season, tried to help Brown, according to The Athletic. Other teammates had left the club before the incident.
Brown traveled back to Houston separate from the team, but they're working together on his recovery and the investigation process, The Athletic reported.
The NBA is also investigating the incident. Charania and Iko raise the layered issue of whether this violated the league's protocols to protect players during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. They are prohibited from going to bars and clubs.
Of course, the main focus is Brown's health. He is reportedly still in "a great deal of pain" and recovering from several lacerations. The Athletic cited a source who said Brown's "face is jacked up."
The Rockets, who hold the NBA's worst record at 15-43, host the Utah Jazz, who hold the league's best record at 43-15, on Wednesday night.