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.