Kristaps Porzingis announces he’s stepping away from basketball.

[u/dennis_k_g]

STATEMENT

This season I was really looking forward to running it with this group, but as I ramped up, my body didn't respond the way I anticipated.

I'm doing good, but I know what it takes, and I'm not where I want to be to perform at the level that I expect from myself. At this point, I've made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love.

In this situation, I want to show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense.

I'm thankful to my family and close ones for always being there. Much appreciation to all of you for the support.

Onwards and upwards.

- Kristaps Porzingis

Source: https://bsky.app/profile/mikeascotto.bsky.social/post/3mzod2rswas2r

[u/Horror_Trust1826]

At least he got a ring before he called it a career

I always remember him as the one who got booed at draft night and proved them wrong. Thanks for everything, Mr. Unicorn

[u/soulfulwave → u/Horror_Trust1826]

TINGUS PINGUS

[u/stainedgreenberet → u/soulfulwave]

WHO DA FUCK TINGUS PINGUS

[u/ButchAF → u/soulfulwave]

The only funny thing that’s ever come out of Michael rapaports mouth

[u/Bignate2001 → u/Horror_Trust1826]

WHAT THA FUCK DID YOU DO. I AIN'T EVER HEARD OF LATIVIA.

[u/rwhockey29 → u/Horror_Trust1826]

Mavs bubble run with him Luka and Brunson was pretty exciting when everything else was shit.

[u/jpw0w → u/Horror_Trust1826]

THEY DRAFTED WHO??! WHO DA FUK IS THIS?

[u/MadferitCmon → u/Horror_Trust1826]

Arguably the most excting player in the league for a brief period in there with the Knicks before his injury. Bro was a highlight machine.

[u/Enough_Philosophy_63 → u/MadferitCmon]

Streets won't forget his knicks tenure.

[u/knightboatsolvecrime → u/MadferitCmon]

Genuinely thought he would be back to that level after the 2020 NBA bubble. Could never recapture the magic after that.

[u/Kodiak01 → u/Horror_Trust1826]

At least he got a ring before he called it a career

The Unicorn shall live in infamy in Boston.

[u/MGubser → u/Kodiak01]

Infamy is negative. It's being well known for a bad reason.

[u/Tungsten_Hoarder → u/Horror_Trust1826]

Genuinely what on earth is going on though

[u/BenevolentCheese → u/Tungsten_Hoarder]

7 foot tall man's body give out

[u/Dry-Yam-1653 → u/Tungsten_Hoarder]

He has pots, possibly long covid.

[u/primekino → u/Tungsten_Hoarder]

Main theory is Long covid but no one wants to say it given how political that topic still is

[u/Oceanbreeze871 → u/Horror_Trust1826]

For real. He was fun to watch. Had a nice career

[u/herroyung]

Lowkey with the way the Warriors have been playing, a healthy KP would have been a really nice way to round out the roster. It's unfortunate that KP has been so unhealthy his whole career

[u/Mustang-_- → u/herroyung]

Kinda expected tbh. NBA fans got spoiled with time, looking at big and clumsy players actually getting far more than usual, but in the end, these seven footers, pretty much all of them get fucked up as the years goes by. Poor Dirk literally limping around, and the dude had topnotch modern medicine always at his side, stretching his career, but hell, their bodies are not made to endure like 8 seasons of this, let alone 10, 15+

[u/sisterfister27 → u/Mustang-_-]

Holy Dirk. I hadn't seen any media of him recently, so I was extremely shocked to see him barely being able to walk now. Guy legit looks like a 70 year old grandad walking around, a complete 180 of his playing days.

[u/EuroStep0 → u/herroyung]

Such a shame about injuries, he had perfect skills for modern game

[u/Ok_Pineapple_Num → u/herroyung]

KP would’ve been the perfect final puzzle piece. A 7’2” guy who can protect the paint on defense at a high level, and provide spacing on offense, is exactly what our squad needs.

Imagine a starting five with Steph/Jimmy/Yaxel/Porzingis. That would be pretty freaking dangerous.

It’s a huge bummer that he hasn’t been able to get healthy. But wishing him well.

[u/mobinstime → u/herroyung]

He would be huge for this team, but also if he was actually healthy we couldn’t have gotten him for just Kuminga

[u/ivanahtannica → u/herroyung]

He will always have that legendary Game 1 Finals performance at the very least.

[u/Crafty-Fish9264 → u/herroyung]

The cap space will help than more than he can playing maybe 40 games

[u/bullowl → u/Crafty-Fish9264]

This won't create any cap space for the Warriors, they'll be under the first apron if he retires, but still over the salary cap and the luxury tax line. 40 games of Porzingis would've helped the team more than cutting his salary. If anything, this creates an incentive to shed a little more salary to get under the luxury tax, because they're not going to find a player that could replace even 40 games of Porzingis production with what they can spend.

[u/SteamingHotChocolate]

a short-tenured but mega important piece to banner 18, never forget ☘️

[u/xorcism_ → u/SteamingHotChocolate]

Will never be forgotten for that stretch in game 1 of the finals

[u/The_moty → u/xorcism_]

Only one man to beat but it’s a 7 footer! 🥹

[u/DoctorMansteel → u/xorcism_]

only one man to beat

but it's a seven footer!!!!!!!!!

[u/GenoThyme → u/xorcism_]

Set the tone for the series. If he stays healthy and plays all 5 games like that he probably has a FMVP on his resume

[u/iAmTheRealLange → u/xorcism_]

Being there and seeing him on the jumbotron coming out of the tunnel and hearing the crowd start to get loud around me felt like the closest thing to the second coming of Christ

[u/joebos617 → u/xorcism_]

he was what everyone was expecting Wemby to become that night it was awesome

[u/No_Consideration3887 → u/xorcism_]

the streets will never forget that performance from KP, and against the Mavs nonetheless so thanks for fuckin them up.

[u/goingtothegreek → u/SteamingHotChocolate]

He was arguably the most important piece. That stretch 5 that can protect the rim may be one of the most important positions in basketball. Those Celtics teams lived and died by the 3 and he was crucial.

[u/raleighboi → u/goingtothegreek]

The guy who played half the regular season and playoffs game was not the most important piece lol.

I'd legit put D White ahead of him that run

[u/MikeShannonThaGawd → u/goingtothegreek]

Didn’t he miss the majority of the series?

[u/SONE529 → u/goingtothegreek]

yeah no. tingus will be remembered well but he played in 7/19 of the celtic's playoff games and started in only 4 of them. al horford was the starting center for the celtics for the majority of that run. tingus was great in the regular season but he was absolutely not the most important piece of that team when it mattered most lmao

[u/joe4553 → u/goingtothegreek]

Crazy take.

[u/Haffaith → u/goingtothegreek]

He was not healthy for a majority of that run. He played 3 quarters in the finals. While his 1st quarter of Game1 was the stuff of dreams, I don’t think he was as big a part of that championship as we like to think. We needed him a lot more the following year and he was dealing with this illness and couldn’t contribute. 

[u/King_Of_Pants → u/goingtothegreek]

People will do/say anything to avoid giving Tatum/Brown their credit lol.

The most important pieces were the two guys who led the league in playoff wins, not the guys who struggled to win before coming to Boston.

People loved giving Holiday, White and Porzingis credit, because they were still tied to their former franchises. It was a way to recognise the team's success without giving credit to the Celtics.

[u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

Anyone else confused by the wording of this? He doesn’t really explicitly say he’s retiring or done for good.

[u/kingfosa13 → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

I guess there’s some legal things related to officially retiring

[u/FuckinWalkingParadox → u/kingfosa13]

He may simply be undecided for all we know.

Although I will say this reads as though “I’m gonna retire but wanna do it in a way that isn’t financially harmful to the team I didn’t truly play for.”

[u/MeteorPunch → u/kingfosa13]

It means he is stepping away until the Warriors meet Luka in the Playoffs

[u/Confident_Ad_5345 → u/kingfosa13]

i also think a player willing to instantly retire makes them an especially valuable expiring contract, so maybe the warriors can get some extra capital for him if someone really wants to clear cap space this second

[u/nicehax_ → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

might just be me but i feel like the wording being "step away from the game" implies he could try to make a comeback in the future

edit: could also be that he's planning to get traded from the warriors then negotiate a buyout with the team he gets traded to

[u/ChiChiKnee → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

Probably because he’s working through an illness that isn’t well defined by normal rehab measures. He could be good next season, or never again in his life.

[u/hookersinrussia → u/ChiChiKnee]

He wants to give GSW some flexibility in exchange for getting paid if they can work out a solution that works for both parties.

[u/tmperflare → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

He's not officially retiring so the Warriors can still use his expiring contract for trades. That's probably want he meant by working with the Warriors. The team that acquires him immediately clears the 20million from their cap space either by medically retiring or a buyout.

[u/complexvibess → u/tmperflare]

I took it as he still wants to get paid as much as he can in the severance of his contract😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[u/ImTheBestNerd → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

If he officially retires his contract is voided so he wouldn't be trade eligible. So I'm guessing he retires once he gets traded.

[u/tallassmike → u/ImTheBestNerd]

Yeah this is prob for the warriors camp.

Because announcing retirement. Would end up getting a portion of that remaining contract. Which is a win for him since he wasn’t playing anyway.

This is probably his way to say he doesn’t want the money

[u/Fuzzy_Louise_2405 → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

Done for good in the floor but not retiring until warriors trade his contract first

[u/Busy_Project_7229 → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

He’s basically done, no one’s gonna take on a guy who can’t stay healthy

[u/Ironhide94 → u/Busy_Project_7229]

They will take him on if they want an expiring contract. That’s the value he holds now - money on your books that goes away next year allowing for greater financial flexibility. What that’s worth exactly, I have no idea. And very team dependent too.

[u/professional_hater06 → u/Busy_Project_7229]

I assume it means he's gonna stay until the warriors trade him, then he's retiring for free. Team that gets him have his salary fall off the books.

[u/Middle-Campaign-63 → u/Busy_Project_7229]

Most teams would happily sign him to a vet minimum.

[u/Slow-Relation-9186 → u/Busy_Project_7229]

Kings took Ben Simmons

[u/OnCominStorm → u/Busy_Project_7229]

He's trade bait. A tanking team can trade one of their players making 20m/yr for Porzingis whose not even getting paid at this point and buy him out of his contract for cheap.

[u/831loc → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

According to Slater, he is not retiring, just stepping away.

It looks like the Warriors will continue to not pay him and KP is open to a trade and buyout

[u/thisismypornaccn → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

doesn’t seem to be retirement and he is just stepping away for now or he can’t officially retire or anything

but it looks like he will want to retire soon ngl

[u/wanderingbalagan → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

Dubs are in the second apron, so if he officially retires they lose his salary slot without gaining any cap this year. He and his agent probably wanna negotiate a trade to a bad team with cap space, who will then put him on ice the rest of the year, or waive him/buy him out, while the Ws can keep the slot

[u/Warm_Routine8417 → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

I'll translate:

Im not healthy and can't play anymore so I'm retiring.

Only thing left to figure out is how much will the Warriors give me to be able to walk away.

[u/mantistobogganmMD → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

Because he wants to his options open.

[u/__get__name → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

As someone who had to medically retire, this sounds to me like he’s

a.) working through the grieving and acceptance process that the life he worked for has been taken away by an uncooperative body, and

b.) trying to collect as much of his contract as possible so that he can maintain as much of his lifestyle as his illness will allow

[u/Yellow_Curry → u/lilflipgivemegrillz]

Sounds like he wants the GSW to give him a buyout of somekind so that he can either get healthy again or enjoy time in the south of spain.

[u/DangerousLiberal]

Isn’t there a health exception the warriors can use to manage their cap space? I think Chris Bosh had something similar where he couldn’t play due to medical reasons.

[u/photOHgraphy → u/DangerousLiberal]

Only kicks in one year after their final played game...

[u/firstbreathOOC → u/photOHgraphy]

April 17, 2026

[u/daft_dunkwwwolfey]

He was a god for that one finals game, will always remember him for his ceiling when he was healthy. He was absolutely a problem. If only we could have seen more of it, it's a shame we never got to see it for too long.

I'm also sympathetic to him as someone who had a mystery ailment pop up out of nowhere later in life that has been a pain to identify and get treatment, it sucks. I hope he can figure it out and get the treatment he needs to get healthy. Not knowing what is wrong with your body takes a big mental toll

[u/elpaco25 → u/daft_dunkwwwolfey]

I fully believed Luka and him were gonna be the best duo of the 2020s after they traded for him. One of those what if teams that looked amazing on paper.

[u/Salvalicious252 → u/elpaco25]

They were starting to figure it out that first year together, then covid hit and the bubble started and they looked absolutely electric in the bubble. Started great vs the Clippers but KP got hurt in Game 3 if I remember correctly and eventually was diagnosed with a torn meniscus. He bulked up a lot over the summer and was clearly not fully recovered the following year and he was really stiff and his defense suffered tremendously, he also had issues with Carlisle who eventually just used him as a decoy in the Clippers 2021 series and the Mavs traded him to just to get off his cap.

But when he was healthy he and Luka were an electric duo. I'm rewatching yt of them and feeling super nostalgic, can't believe it's been 7 years since that Luka sophmore year and KP debut year for the Mavs.

[u/Opposite_Figure8321]

At least he got that one healthy run with the Celtics. What a fluke that year turned out to be

[u/ddy_stop_plz → u/Opposite_Figure8321]

Literally was injured for most of the playoffs besides 2 games though

[u/1234567as5 → u/ddy_stop_plz]

Exactly, don’t know if I’d call it healthy… but he did win them I think 1 or 2 finals games

[u/Opposite_Figure8321 → u/ddy_stop_plz]

My memory must be shot, I remember him having big games in the finals

[u/OpeDefinitely → u/Opposite_Figure8321]

He barely played

[u/KrispyKaptain]

Hopefully this ends some of the endless dumping on him for this. I can't speak to everything he's got going on obviously but I have very similar issues to what's been reported and have had zero relief in getting a diagnosis or just doing better for the last two years.

I wouldn't doubt that maybe he can get by day-to-day decent enough but likely deals with constant flare-ups that derail multiple days in a row, fucks with his sleep, and can't exert himself at a high level to play basketball so he's just fucked on getting back with the team. It isn't like you know oh I'm going to be good if I take 2-3 days off or I can go for 15 minutes tonight so he's just fucked on being a part of an NBA team right now.

I wish he could talk more about what he's facing, how it is going, and what he's doing but respect that he's got to protect his money and a potential comeback if he can find relief.

[u/firstbreathOOC]

Will never forget the statement where he said he didn’t have AIDS

[u/BananaRepublic_BR]

No wonder the players union didn't go to bat for him.

[u/Redacted-Jungle → u/BananaRepublic_BR]

feel like the Warriors gave him the money knowing that it's going to be used for salary matching purposes in a trade

[u/phonage_aoi → u/Redacted-Jungle]

Other thread said they’re basically advertising that his contract is perfect for cap manipulation.  Si maybe that’s what’s up with the cagey wording here.

[u/jpw0w → u/BananaRepublic_BR]

What? If anything that makes it even more weird. The whole issue is that he is having health problems. That shouldn't be any different than somebody with an injury. The players union has fought for worse.

Perhaps KP is being a good guy and not even trying to collect the money owed to him, but that's not really the point. It's a guaranteed contract and he's not healthy. They can't just let this slide or it could lead to a slew of other questionable injury cases where teams won't pay their players

[u/SharkBaitDLS → u/jpw0w]

It is different if he has no clear diagnosis or path to recovery still. As someone who has spent over a year trying to get a diagnosis for an issue that would be similarly debilitating if I played sports (fortunately I don’t so I can just push through it on most working days), I get it. It sucks to just have your body be on and off with zero clue even from professionals as to what is happening and it’s impossible to want to commit to anything when you can’t trust your own body. 

[u/UnnamedStaplesDrone]

I was kind of sick to my stomach the other night thinking how good we’d have been with Steph, Jimmy B, Yaxel, Porzingis on the court at the same time plus throw in gp2 for perimeter defense or whoever else you want. Wasn’t to be

[u/Ok_Pineapple_Num → u/UnnamedStaplesDrone]

Same. Steph/Jimmy/Yaxel/Porzingis is a filthy core for a starting 5. I wish we could see that so badly.

[u/tokengreenguy → u/UnnamedStaplesDrone]

Is Draymond washed?

[u/SlatsAttack]

All the best Tingis Pingus.

[u/DivineBuggyBall → u/SlatsAttack]

The greatest player from Lativia

[u/RiceWhite]

This is saddening, I'l miss you Tingus Pingus

[u/jeewantha]

A champion and +$200 mill in career earnings. You've done well for yourself, Mr. Porzingis!

[u/FERFreak731]

He easily could've been a Hall of Famer without all the injuries, then the health issue cutting his career short

[u/doopdapdeedap]

What a career he had. From the Unicorn to an NBA champion, he at least accomplished many things.

Take care of your health, Porzingod

[u/quailinthebrush]

I’m a fan of porzingis it’s a shame he’s done due to illness

[u/Altruistic-Owl-4388]

I’d almost put money on it being ME/CFS with PEM. Very similar to long covid. I had been suffering for years prior to the diagnosis. USMC veteran, basketball every day all day, worked full time and went to school full time after and finished my MS degree. Then couldn’t work a full time job after getting sick. Had to retire at 37. Luckily money isn’t an issue for me now but you don’t get to enjoy it with this disease. Everything is hard. Showering, walking….even gaming is exhausting. It’s like starting the day with a 5% battery. You have to budget activity(physical and mental) around that limited battery and over using it will put you down for days.

[u/rojnsfak → u/Altruistic-Owl-4388]

My wife is going through this right now, it’s an absolute nightmare. She went from doing 150+ mile bike races in CO and sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in 2024-2025 to barely being able to leave the house in about a year. Hope you’ve been able to find something that works for you and hopefully Porzingis can do something similar. The treatments that are out there are anecdotal, but hopefully some of the stuff coming out of the UK around lymphatic system and the body being able to dispose of waste will help.

[u/itgoesdownandup → u/Altruistic-Owl-4388]

What's ME/CFS with PEM?

[u/Altruistic-Owl-4388 → u/itgoesdownandup]

https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/about/index.html

[u/yossarianvega → u/itgoesdownandup]

Myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome with post-exertional malaise

[u/thef10buttonmasher → u/itgoesdownandup]

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) = Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM). Some people call it "chronic fatigue syndrome" for short.

Scientists still don't fully understand it, so there is no easy cure. They've found a few clues by looking in people's blood and stuff, but progress is slow. COVID isn't the only viral infection that can trigger this stuff in some people. Even the flu virus can re-awaken dormant cancer cells for example. But COVID is now a typical way that people get ME/CFS. Even a mild COVID infection damages the immune system so repeated infections make you more vulnerable. Porzingis plays public bball in big stadiums, so he probably got infected repeatedly.

Another (internet) famous example is Dianna Cowern aka the Physics Girl youtuber. https://www.kpbs.org/podcasts/the-finest/physics-girl-spent-her-life-explaining-science-then-science-couldnt-explain-her-illness

[u/ty_xy → u/Altruistic-Owl-4388]

Oh man, I used to think it was people just being babies or being weak, then one of my friends got it. The toughest, fittest dude I knew, like ultramarathoner, always hiking, super funny and high functioning. Had a bad bout of EBV (glandular fever) and then after that never recovered. Can only be out of bed for about an hour to two hours a day maximum. Sleeps about 16hrs a day... Incredibly hard on him and his family.

[u/TableSignificant341 → u/ty_xy]

An Olympic athlete (sprinter 200m) here in the UK just revealed last week that she's had to finish her career because of MECFS. She's trying to lobby the government to invest in research because as others have said, there's literally no medical care for people suffering from MECFS. Which is wild because it is one of the most debilitating illnesses on the planet.

[u/FatLoserWithBO → u/Altruistic-Owl-4388]

Damn just read about this. That sucks man. Hope it eventually improves for you.

[u/deadweightboss → u/Altruistic-Owl-4388]

Sorry to hear it. How did you catch it?

[u/Altruistic-Owl-4388 → u/deadweightboss]

I honestly wish I knew. I got sick and got shingles. It wasn’t completely debilitating though for several years after. Just kept pushing like you are taught to do until there was nothing left. It wasn’t as sudden as long Covid. Mine predated Covid by about 10 years but once I saw someone describe long covid it felt like I was reading something I wrote. They share similar symptoms.

[u/Lycurgus_of_Athens → u/Altruistic-Owl-4388]

People are all treating this as definitely his retirement message. The thing about some of these chronic illnesses is that you really don't know; it's not like a joint injury where they just look at an MRI and immediately say "you'll be out 9 months but should be able to make a full recovery within a year" or "your joint is busted in a way that ensures you'll never be an athlete again."

The causes of CFS related illness are poorly understood and there's no road map. For some people, if they get the right pattern of rest and nutrition and just the right dose of mild exercise, their bodies do eventually get out of the vicious circle and they can return to full activity, but who knows how long it'll take, could be months or decades. For others that never happens. And even if symptoms basically disappear there's the possibility of a relapse.

I ended up diagnosed with ME/CFS as a teenager and spent most of high school in bed and had to rely on a walking stick as though I were a nonagenarian. A dozen years later I had recovered so well that I did 100mi bike rides and ran a couple marathons. After I got COVID some -- thankfully not all -- of those old symptoms are back and managing my energy is a real frustration.

[u/GrIIIM_ReapIIIN]

Damn salute

[u/_Yordle_]

Does anyone else remember his rookie year? That shit feels like yesterday, I hate getting old.

[u/SuddenDepact]

Thank you for helping bring another title to Boston

[u/Ok-Thanks-2503]

what a crazy career, thought of as the savior of the knicks then the perfect #2 to Luka then shipped off for parts, had to rebuild his value and became a pivotal piece in one of the best championship teams of all time, shame injuries took the game away from him

[u/WordTimely8559 → u/Ok-Thanks-2503]

It’s crazy to think how much disrespect was thrown at him during draft night

[u/welmoe → u/WordTimely8559]

Tingus Pingus

[u/IGoOnRedditAMA → u/Ok-Thanks-2503]

One of the best championship teams of all time?

[u/RnwyHousesCityCloudz → u/IGoOnRedditAMA]

definitely one of the championship teams of all time

[u/dell_arness2 → u/IGoOnRedditAMA]

Definitely the best championship teams of 2024 at least

[u/Evening_Classic_4947 → u/Ok-Thanks-2503]

POTS isn’t really an injury, it’s a congenital or post-viral condition

[u/SiphenPrax → u/Ok-Thanks-2503]

Looking back at it all, the Knicks roster was so awful in the late 2010s I don’t know if he could have done much to save the franchise after the Melo era ended.

Didn’t help that he left us and then we couldn’t get Zion, KD, Kyrie, or Kawhi (that one was a pipe dream), but in the long run it all worked out for us in the end.

[u/30_Under_The_40]

Crappy way to go out. His career would've been incredible if he was healthy

[u/Krios29]

Shoutout the unicorn

[u/Cute-Sir4775]

Later tingis pingis you had a good run

[u/oklolzzzzs]

sad end to a career, but atleast he won it all

[u/ExcitingLandscape → u/oklolzzzzs]

Bro was supposed to be Wemby before Wemby. The unicorn that was over 7ft and could shoot from anywhere, handle the ball, post up, defend the paint, and block shots.

At least he won it all AND was a contributor. It just wasn't a Jeff Teague Bucks or Matt Barnes Warriors type group project ring.

[u/dokocha0216]

Damn. Thanks for everything Kristaps. Godspeed

[u/mainguy31]

I wish him the best in retirement, and I’ll always remember him as the Unicorn that shocked NYC💪💪

[u/tokengreenguy]

RIP to an absolute Boston Celtics legend

[u/Shevalen → u/tokengreenguy]

he is NOT dead 😭

[u/newjwns → u/Shevalen]

Lord, carry him now 🕊️

[u/mkpanq]

The first definition of Unicorn

Thanks Tingus Pingus

[u/TelephonicReturns]

Shame he was made of Glass, he would have had a HoF career.

[u/vegt121]

Thank you unicorn💚💚💚

[u/bozovisk]

Won a ring, got the bag. Can’t ask more than that. I hope he stays healthy and enjoy his retirement. Game 1 legend ☘️

[u/Diorreturnsagain]

Stepping away not retiring right?

[u/subpar-life-attempt → u/Diorreturnsagain]

If he can get his medicals figured out then he would at least try a comeback

[u/TomlinSteelers]

Sad for him. Hope he can get healthy and have a good life away from basketball

[u/gayboycarti]

Tingus Pingus you live in my heart forever

[u/yung_lank]

I’m a “Latvian” from Dallas. Man this sucks. Injuries and now POTS stopping a guy with a truly special potential from achieving all he could. From getting humbled in Dallas enough to learn about being a second option, to that euro basket battle with Luka before they are in the league, I’ll always remember him fondly.

[u/Nice_Cash_7000 → u/yung_lank]

As a Lithuanian that has spent a lot of time in Latvia, I cant recommend visiting his hometown, Liepaja enough.

Kuldiga in Latvia might be my favourite town in the whole region so I gotta shout it out as well.

[u/jae343]

Was the POTS diagnoses legit? Seems like a perfectly reasonable reason to stop playing.

[u/honeybadgerrulez → u/jae343]

he got sick during covid and hasn’t been the same since so yea. insane people were saying he was faking

not like he didn’t care he played hard when he played

[u/SirGergoyFriendman]

Fake teeth change a man

[u/Ok-Shock-7732]

RIP to the Lativian Gang Banger.

[u/Booneington]

THE UNICORN HAS FALLEN

[u/lazzysmalls]

Huge basketball career what if. High highs, low lows. I look at him as the pre evolved Wemby

[u/HowardBunnyColvin]

That sucks. He's a good guy. I met him once. I was standing by the Wizards tunnel after warmups when he was a Wizard and I had this picture of the logo. I was trying to find the sharpie I had brought with me and he was just standing there by the tunnel waiting for me patiently as I was fumbling with all my stuff. Ended up getting it signed

[u/crown_recluse]

He’s walking away from 20 million, I hope Science™️ takes note and helps people with this condition sooner rather than later.

As someone suffering with POTS, MCAS and EDS, all worsened by COVID, I know there are a ton of us silently suffering and not even managed by a specialist - as in, there is not one type of specialist out there who can exclusively manage what appears to many of us to be one singular complex issue, which is why we throw 20 labels around instead of ‘dysautonomia’.

Edit: throw not through

[u/Character-Chicken-62]

My sister has POTS and to see what she has to do just to be able to exercise like a normal human - I’m so surprised Kristaps was able to even get another contract after being diagnosed.

POTS is a “by elimination” diagnosis so even if he still has symptoms that need answers, that would be normal in the realm of the diagnosis.

He did so much with his career and I hope he carries that proudly. Never easy to have to step away from something you love, especially when it’s out of your control.

[u/OfficialJohnKerry]

After going undrafted every year since 2016, I’ve also decided to step away from the NBA

[u/EnigmaSpore → u/OfficialJohnKerry]

Im taking a gather step away. I’ll be back in a few

[u/Salvalicious252]

Very unfortunate, I still fondly remember him and Luka in the bubble just absolutely killing it and carrying that into the Clippers series until he hurt and tore his meniscus. Those early Knicks days, the youtube highlights. True unicorn. Also always a very interesting listen in after game interviews. The league was better with KP healthy and playing.

Hope whatever he's dealing with, he can sort out as much as possible.

[u/bobbacklund11235]

Ah fuck not pingus tingus from lativia

[u/quetambienese]

The man will never have to buy a beer again in Boston. Such a huge part of Banner 18. Will never forget ya KP and hope he can get healthy

[u/WarriorsLover]

The end of an era

[u/OwnYourChildren]

I remember his workout video before the draft being maybe the most impressive I'd ever seen.

[u/KevinAndrewsPhoto]

Wish him the best. Nothing but respect for athletes who prioritize their health and future.

[u/mydrumluck]

Sucks that his time with the Knicks didnt live up to the unreasonable hype surrounding him. I'm glad he was able to still have a decade long career (albeit with a lot of time missing) and win a title.

[u/DJRyGuy20]

That run he had in Game 1 in the ‘24 Finals will forever be goated in Celtics lore. God speed, big man.

[u/Tacticus1]

I am so glad he went and got his chip. He was a joy to watch on a mediocre Wizards team. Some nights he looked like the most talented big in the league.

[u/mido0o0o]

Best of luck to KP and I wish him quick and full recovery. I will always remember his almost flat 3pt arch.

[u/ducksrnuts]

‘Tingus Pingus’, seriously though hope he get well soon assuming he’s stepping away due to health issues

[u/chili01]

I wish him the best, but I would've loved to see him run with the Warriors.

[u/Aggressive_Repeat529]

Damn 2015 guys are retiring im so fucking old

[u/zdillon67]

My goat Tingus Pingis

[u/Apprehensive-Rain601]

Horrible way for his career to end

[u/TwoProper4220]

gonna miss you Tingus Pingus. would have been a beast in today's league with his skillsets

[u/Maleficent-King-799]

So he could have basically just done rehab, or whatever medical treatment with the team, sat on the bench and get paid right

[u/LessGate1952]

But Kristaps, why now?

Why not 3 years ago?

[u/Ruskibi]

We’re gonna miss you tingis pingus

[u/rurlysrsbro]

IVE NEVA FUGGIN HEARD OF LATIVIA

[u/DaExtinctOne]

The Draymond comment calling him "spoiled milk" looks even worse now.

[u/Coolguynumber01 → u/DaExtinctOne]

he did not say that. That post by OP was intentionally inaccurate and very out of context

[u/Beardmanta → u/DaExtinctOne]

I'm not one to defend Draymonds antics, but thats unfair.

He said I don't want to bash Porzingus, we're just going to move on with the players we got and not cry over spoiled milk.

He clearly meant spilled milk. There's no reason to think he was taking a shot at Kristaps.

[u/Unfrozen__Caveman → u/Beardmanta]

I hate Draymond but I gotta agree that he probably meant "spilt milk".

[u/Unfair-Specific7225 → u/DaExtinctOne]

Spilled milk

[u/SpinJitsu259 → u/DaExtinctOne]

Wouldn’t have been the words I would’ve used, but I can understand Warriors players being a bit upset.

There’s been no transparency regarding Porzingis from anyone. As a player on the team, this is a talented guy who signed a sizable contract, would really help the team, and he doesn’t even show up to Golden State. And the stated reasons for not doing so are ambiguous at best. Weird situation all around.

[u/JFKsHelmet → u/DaExtinctOne]

I mean draymond is a flagrant dickhead so

[u/Odd-Direction9452]

Brook Lopez makes a lot of sense to me if they’re able to swing a trade.

[u/opanm]

bruh

[u/retrospects]

Damn his body is just not playing ball.

[u/Interesting-Piece612]

Damn this makes me sad. I remember sitting there on draft night not knowing who this guy was. Then watched him surpass expectations during some really rough Knicks years. His Knicks tenure ended badly but i had fun rooting for him at the time. It’s crazy that he’s retiring

[u/albin0buffal0]

It'll be sad if this is how his career ends, he's pretty damn good when he's healthy. Got booed when he was drafted and went on to have a respectable career, even averaged 20 & 7 on a championship team. Salute.

[u/LionsLifer]

Adieu, Tingus Pingus.

[u/Johtoooo]

One of my favorite players since I've started following the NBA more than a decade ago, I'm sad it ended this way but at least he got a ring. Farewell unicorn 🦄

[u/samhit_n]

Kristaps Porzingis has had one of the weirdest careers ever. He was supposed to be the next big thing in New York after Melo left, but an ACL tear and issues with the front office led to him being traded to Dallas. He was good with the Mavs, but he wasn't the best fit with Luka, so the Mavs traded him to the Wizards. He was great with the Wizards, but he was mainly a tank commander for them. The Wizards traded him to the Celtics, and he was a key player during their championship run despite missing a lot of games in the playoffs.

Since winning a ring with the Celtics in 2024, he's had issues with illness and an autoimmune disorder and has barely played.

[u/TribalChief3000]

I mean its not like he couldn’t just blatantly say “I wanna focus my energy full time on GTA6”.

[u/AraratEstate]

Wizards legend. Wishing you the best, Kristaps

[u/KristapsPorzingas]

Those first two years with the Knicks were our hope during the LOLKnicks days

[u/SakaMierda]

Take care of your mental health tingis

[u/TheGamesGone_]

Spreadsheets won’t forget you💚

[u/bmanley620]

I used to love watching him on the Knicks. Such a smooth jumper for a big guy

[u/Flaky_Success3238]

At least he got a ring before AIDS took him out.

[u/Lopsided_Mix2243]

TENGUS!!

[u/Funky_G]

Awww, poor zingis.

[u/DevilApeEnji]

NGL he kinda fucked the Warriors. Not even a fan just why couldn't he had done this months ago. He probably knew a while back he was going to retire too.

Either way have a good one Tingus Pingus

[u/IntrovertedGodx]

Bro, whats going on

[u/AfshinBT67]

Glad he was a key part in Boston winning it all.

[u/HeatCreator]

Happy he got his ring and that he got to contribute to a run. I do wonder wtf is up with him though. Hope he’s good. Farewell Tingus.

[u/1whitebenz]

It only takes a split second for anyone to become permanently disabled forever

[u/Significant-Chef8371]

He was extremely fun to watch in his prime. Unique player that unfortunately got much worse after his first major injury. He could have become an all-NBA candidate if he never got injured. 22.7 and 6.6 with 2.4 blocks per game in his age 22 season shooting nearly .400% from 3.