Paris Olympics: Celtics Champion Ruled Out After Harrowing Injury Update, Risks Next Season

It was a dream season for Kristaps Porzingis in his first year with the Boston Celtics. The Latvian superstar had an instant impact in strengthening the Celtics on either side of the court and playing an instrumental part in ending their championship drought. However, while he did claim his first championship, past horrors seem to have returned once again. Porzingis sustained a rare injury during the NBA playoffs which severely limited his participation in the postseason. He showed resilience and played through the pain. Now, it has cost him his Paris Olympics.

The Celtics today announced that the 29-year-old will undergo surgery to repair his torn retinaculum dislocated posterior tibialis. The franchise claimed such an injury can only be treated through surgery. It means Porzingis should be healthy by the time the next season begins. However, he will be missing the upcoming Olympic qualification and the Paris Olympics too.

The Celtics CNLS reported that the Latvian will require the entire offseason to recoup from the surgery. This proves to be a major loss for Latvia who are yet to qualify for the Paris Olympics that will be held next month.

This will be the second major competition that Porzingis will miss alluding to an injury. Previously, the Latvians qualified for the FIBA World Cup last year for the first time in their history. However, they would be without the Unicorn even then as he was recovering from a foot injury he suffered during the qualifications.

Kristaps Porzingis stats

Over the last few years, Kristaps Porzingis has heavily participated in international basketball for Latvia. He is arguably their best player and proved so when the team qualified for its first-ever FIBA World Cup last year. During the qualifiers, the former Knicks center went berserk averaging 25.5 points and 14 rebounds in two games. Porzingis would later suffer his foot injury that would keep him out of the remaining games.

Despite his absence, Latvia managed to earn a spot during the tournament even going through teams such as Greece (although they didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo either). Pozingis’ injury proneness has greatly limited his international participation. His last major appearance before the qualifiers was in 2017 during the FIBA EuroBasket in 2017 when he even faced off against a young Luka Doncic. During the competition, Porzingis played seven games for his nation, averaging 23.6 points and 5.9 rebounds as a teenager.

It’s a shame that the Latvian will miss another major international tournament given his importance to the FIBA World number 6 ranked team. While he will be recovering from the rare condition, Kristaps Porzingis will surely cheer for his country during the Paris Olympics 2024.

To know Shaq’s ex-agent Leonard Armato’s views on Caitlin Clark’s Olympics snub make sure to watch our conversation with the savvy marketer in this video below.