Name: What happened the night the Rockets’ Sterling Brown got jumped in Miami? Here’s what we know
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What happened the night the Rockets’ Sterling Brown got jumped in Miami? Here’s what we know

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Apr 21, 2021People close to guard , including his teammates and coaches, feared for his life this week. Brown was in the emergency room at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., receiving medical attention throughout Monday after being jumped outside of a strip club in the early hours of the morning.before their game Monday night against the : “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 his prior knee injury.”The situation was even more serious than what was revealed via the statement, however. Here is what The Athletic can confirm took place and the ensuing fallout from the night’s events.The Rockets arrived in Miami on Sunday night after a 114-110 victory over the in Orlando. Instead of staying in downtown Miami, Houston stayed in nearby Coral Gables, a strategic logistical decision made at least in part to ensure the roster was kept away from Miami’s notorious nightlife ahead of a back-to-back against the Heat on Monday night.As the clock ticked closer to midnight on Sunday, multiple Rockets players — around a handful or more — took the short 20-minute trip to the Booby Trap strip club. What occurred into the early hours of Monday was described as terrible, unfortunate and dangerous.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.Some Rockets players had started filing out of the Booby Trap strip club prior to the incident, but a couple of them who remained — including the team’s talented young guard Kevin Porter Jr. — also stepped into the altercation as a way to protect Brown and remove him from the situation, according to sources. Porter was also roughed up a bit by the individuals, those sources said, but was fine and played Monday night against the Heat (18 points, three assists, 31 minutes).According to the incident report filed by the Miami-Dade Police Department, which was obtained by The Athletic, an anonymous person contacted police to advise of a fight in the parking lot of the Booby Trap On The River. Upon arrival, Brown was there along with one other person, with multiple lacerations throughout his body. According to the incident report: “Upon attempting to assist both males, and gather information as to what occurred, both males became belligerent and refused to cooperate. Several attempts were made to gather information from (from Brown), who kept insisting he did not want to provide his information, he only wanted rescue to take him to the hospital.”The second person was not identified in the report.As the day wore on Monday, word of the incident began to spread across the Rockets organization. Many players and coaches feared for Brown’s health, suspecting he may have been in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.When Brown was admitted into a private, priority room in the emergency room, blood was everywhere, dripped all over the floor. Brown needed multiple heavy stitching jobs for his facial injuries and underwent several tests, according to sources. He was discharged Monday late in the afternoon.“If he hadn’t been as physically strong and tough, he might not have made it out of the situation (Sunday) night,” one source told The Athletic. “He could have died.”Beyond the concerns surrounding Brown’s personal health, the ’s health and safety protocols bring even greater scrutiny on what occurred here.The league’s protocols, made as a measure to keep the league’s players safe in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, prohibit players from going to bars, lounges or clubs. In many ways, situations such as this one being made public raise awareness to violations of those protocols — clearing the way for the league to determine whether its rules were broken. The NBA’s investigation into the entire situation is ongoing, and a league spokesperson told The Athletic via a statement: “We are in the process of gathering information and hopeful that Sterling makes a full recovery.”In addition to that, Brown’s representation at Priority Sports is hoping to work with a private investigator and the Miami police in tandem to investigate the incident.The Athletic obtained an official statement from Brown’s representative who spoke on his behalf: “Our number one concern is Sterling’s health. We will rely on law enforcement to help get to the bottom of this and the facts about what went down.”Brown is still said to be in a great deal of pain as he heals from several lacerations throughout his body. “His face is jacked up,” one source said.One of the doctors’ primary concerns was that there could be blood clotting overnight due to the nature of the head injuries. Ultimately, the doctors at Jackson Memorial ruled that Brown could return to Houston to continue his recovery. Brown did not travel back to Houston with the team on Tuesday but has since returned to the city on his own as he and the franchise work toward his complete recovery and the investigation process. The Rockets are bracing for a full investigation, and a source said team officials have quietly told at least a few players not to respond to league inquiries on the matter. The Houston Rockets say they have been fully cooperative with the league and all parties involved as this matter is being resolved and that they have been in constant communication with the league since events unfolded.Brown, who signed with the Rockets during the offseason, was in the midst of the best season of his career, averaging a career high in points (8.2), rebounds (4.4) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.3). Head coach Stephen Silas has often leaned on the 3-and-D guard for his leadership amid a very young and raw Rockets team.Last year, the 26-year-old Brown agreed to settle a lawsuit with the city of Milwaukee — where he played three seasons with the — accusing police officers of an unlawful race-based arrest and excessive force in January 2018. The Milwaukee Police Department later released a 30-minute video of body-camera footage of the arrest and apologized to Brown, who was 22 at the time.. The agreement, which was updated in March, is still awaiting city approval.Brown emerged as a leader surrounding social injustice issues during his four NBA seasons, becoming the Milwaukee Bucks’ Players Association representative, serving as an activist for positive change in the community, and then joining the NBA’s Social Justice Coalition alongside players , , and . Brown and now-Philadelphia guard showed leadership during the Bucks’ walk out of a postseason game on Aug. 26, 2020, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., which led to a pause in the NBA season.From the saga, to COVID-19 protocol violations and more, this is yet another layer to a year that has had its fair share of drama and unfortunate events surrounding the Rockets. Houston has seen its season ravaged by injuries and currently owns the worst record in the NBA at 15-43.(Photo: Cato Cataldo / NBAE via Getty Images)

Apr 21, 2021People close to guard , including his teammates and coaches, feared for his life this week. Brown was in the emergency room at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., receiving medical attention throughout Monday after being jumped outside of a strip club in the early hours of the morning.before their game Monday night against the : “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 his prior knee...

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What happened the night the Rockets’ Sterling Brown got jumped in Miami? Here’s what we know

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