After injuring himself in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Kristaps Porzingis will reportedly have surgery on his foot that will sideline him for the Olympics, according to the team. The Latvian star missed Games 3 and 4 of the Celtics series against the Dallas Mavericks, but played sparingly in Boston’s closeout Game 5 at TD Garden.
Porzingis suffered a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon on June 9th. With the season now over and the Celtics hoisting Banner 18, the big man is consulting doctors and specialists before going under the knife, per Brad Stevens.
”Kristaps is still in the middle of consulting with some different doctors and specialists, but we we anticipate surgery will be soon,” said Stevens on Tuesday. “We’ll have more of an update for timeline of recovery after the surgery, as usual.”
After acquiring the sharpshooting center from the Washington Wizards last offseason, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2 assists over 57 games in the regular season as Boston won the top seed in the NBA. Due to a right calf strain and the eventual foot injury, the center was limited to just seven games on his way to his first NBA championship.
Following Game 5, Porzingis told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that he would undergo surgery to repair his injured foot and expected to be in recovery for a ‘few months.’
On Open Run, checking in with a jubilant Kristaps Porzingis as he discusses the “heartbreaking” injury that kept him out of much of the NBA Finals, how hard it was to get back on the court and what’s next: pic.twitter.com/wMPc6aVJ4g
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 18, 2024
The news is not unexpected, although it will make Latvia’s campaign to qualify for the Paris Olympics much harder without their biggest star on the court. Last April, Porzingis dealt with a bout of plantar fasciitis that sidelined him for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
