The Boston Celtics announced in a post Tuesday on X that center Kristaps Porziņģis will undergo leg surgery “in the coming days” and will miss the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team wrote: “Kristaps Porziņģis suffered a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Surgery will be performed in the coming days and further updates will be provided when available.”
Per CBS SPORTS, Celtics president of basketball ops, Brad Stevens told reporters that Porziņģis is consulting with specialists on a treatment plan, but declined to provide a timeline of recovery for Porzingis post-surgery. The Celtics in a news release said that Porzingis had hoped to delay the surgery until after the Olympics, but that the injury would not allow him to do so. The release read: “This injury always requires surgical repair. Porzingis had hoped to delay surgery until after both the NBA Finals and Latvia’s Olympics campaign, but the injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition.”
Porziņģis suffered the rare left leg injury during Game 2 of the NBA Finals when he collided with Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II under the basket. He had also suffered an unrelated calf injury during the Celtics’ first round series victory over the Miami Heat, which forced him to miss 10 postseason games. According to Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, Porziņģis overruled the team’s medical staff to play in the championship-clinching Game 5, and in June he joined the Latvian National team’s roster for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Porziņģis played in seven playoff games – starting in four – and averaged 12.3 points off 47 percent shooting along with 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for the Celtics.
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