The Unicorn will be out of commission. The Boston Celtics announced Tuesday what everyone feared, that center Kristaps Porzingis will undergo surgery and miss Latvia’s Olympic competition in the 2024 Olympics that will take place in Paris next month.
Porzingis sustained a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. According to the organization, the injury always requires surgical repair and Porzingis had hoped to put off the procedure until after the conclusion of the Finals and Latvia’s Olympic campaign.
“The injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition. Surgery will be performed in the coming days, and further updates will be provided when available,” the Celtics announced in a statement.
Porzingis took the court in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and gutted it out for 16 minutes, scoring five points and collected a single rebound in Boston’s 106-88 win that clinched the Celtics’ 18th NBA title, which is the most in NBA history, surpassing their rival Los Angeles Lakers (17), their last coming in 2020. Porzingis missed Game 3 with a dislocated tendon in his left ankle. He was cleared to play in only emergency situations in Game 4, but never removed his warmups during Boston’s 122-84 loss in Dallas.
The Celtics have said that his tendon issue is unrelated to the calf strain Porzingis suffered back on April 29 in the first round against the Miami Heat that led to him being sidelined for 10 games.
Embed from Getty ImagesPorzingis averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in his first six games this postseason, including 20 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in Game 1 against the Mavericks.
An exact timeline for Porzingis’ return has yet to be determined, but he said earlier this month that the recovery process could take a “few months.”
Porzingis, who was acquired by Boston from the Washington Wizards after the Celtics lost in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals to the Heat, averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Celtics during the regular season. As stated earlier, he suffered a calf strain in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series vs. Miami, but returned in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
