Kristaps Porzingis didn’t get much of an offseason to celebrate his first championship with the Celtics—his summer was all about recovery. Just days after Boston’s victory parade, he went under the knife to repair a torn retinaculum and a dislocated posterior tibialis tendon, an injury he picked up in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against Dallas.

He was back in November. But he was out again after playing against the Pistons in late February, this time with a non-COVID illness. He remained out for 8 games, and the questions were mounting. Because there was no clarification on what is he diagnosed with. But now the 7-foot-one center has cleared the air surrounding his illness.

He opened about it after being instrumental in the Celtics victory over the Nets. The Celtics big man admitted the experience was frustrating, especially since he wasn’t sure what was wrong at first. “Yeah, it was extremely, extremely frustrating not knowing what I had,” Porzingis said. “And at the end, it was some sort of—I don’t know exactly, but I think it was some sort of upper respiratory thing that turned into, like, something heavier. Like bronchitis is the word. Uh, something like that along those lines.”

At one point, there was concern that he might have mononucleosis, but tests ruled it out. The possibility had him worried, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Porzingis, who rarely gets sick, said the illness left him completely drained for over a week. “I haven’t been sick for probably ever in my life. So I was really for a week just laying at home, trying to recover,” he explained. “And after that, I still had lingering fatigue, and I still have it a little bit. But at least I’m now getting into more or less shape form to be able to play.”

Even as he works his way back, the lingering effects are noticeable. “After each workout, I was—boom—big crash,” he said. “So it was really fatigue. It’s, like, not normal. And so it’s taking a little bit longer, but I’m doing everything all my biohacking stuff that I know, and just trying to—trying to get back in the best shape as possible.”

The Latvian had to set the record straight about his illness. During Monday’s game, he took to social media to give fans an update on his condition. After the match, he revealed why was he compelled to do that.

He explained that the constant chatter about his availability had been frustrating. “Yeah, ’cause I was just getting a lot of questions,” Porzingis said. “I saw it on social media and stuff, like people want to know what’s going on, why I’m out. And obviously, it was frustrating for me. I’m just ‘illness out, illness out,’ like, come on, this guy can’t play through some illness? Like, you know, even I—I would think that, you know.”

Porzingis wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t sitting out for something minor. “I just wanted to let people know that I’m really dealing with something, and I would never sit out for a cough or something, you know?” he said. “If I’m out with an illness, it has to be something where I really can’t play to help the team.”

Despite the initial skepticism, he was grateful for the support he received after speaking out. “I got a lot of support back. It was really nice,” he said. “I’ll always appreciate the support and love that I get from Celtics fans, and fans back home and everywhere.”

By addressing the situation directly, Porzingis shut down speculation and reassured fans that his absence was not something he took lightly. And when he finally stepped back on the court Saturday night, it was like he never left.

Kristaps Porzingis drops 24 points in his return against the Nets

Kristaps Porzingis made his presence felt in his return Saturday night after missing eight games. He wasted no time reminding Celtics fans what they had been missing, dropping 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting in 31 minutes. His impact was crucial in Boston’s tight 115-113 win over the Nets.

Originally targeting a return against the Lakers on March 8, Porziņgis put himself through an intense workout the day before. Though his three-point shot wasn’t falling (1-of-7), he dominated inside. Seven of his nine field goals came in the paint, including three dunks, and his 10-point burst early in the fourth quarter helped keep Brooklyn at bay.

He had a chance to seal the game late but missed two threes from the left wing. Fortunately, his teammates secured offensive rebounds both times, and Jayson Tatum eventually found him cutting to the rim for a one-handed slam.

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard wasn’t surprised by the performance. “It just shows the skill-set he has,” Pritchard said. “I mean, he’s a unicorn, so he’s an unreal player, and obviously when we have him, we’re just even more dangerous.”

The 1x All-Star expected to play just 20 minutes but ended up closing the game. “[Coach Joe Mazzulla] told me mid-fourth, ‘I’m not going to take you out. So just bite down and let’s go,’” Porziņgis said. “So I said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ Got some sugar in my system and just pushed through.”

Porziņgis’ return couldn’t have come at a better time for the Celtics, who are looking to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. His ability to dominate inside, even on a night when his three-point shot wasn’t falling, proved just how valuable he is to Boston’s offense.