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Kristaps Porziņģis born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall, he plays both the power forward and center positions.
Born in Liepāja, Porziņģis began his professional career with Sevilla in 2012. Porziņģis quickly rose through the team's youth ranks and became the figurehead of the senior team by 2013. He subsequently won the EuroCup Basketball Rising Star award in 2015, where, at age 19, he became the youngest ever recipient of the award. The following summer, Porziņģis declared for the NBA draft, where he was selected fourth overall by the New York Knicks.
In New York, Porziņģis was seen as one of the Knicks' potential cornerstones, and he was selected as an All-Star in 2018. However, disagreements with the front office led Porziņģis to be traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2019. In Dallas, he was plagued by injuries and inconsistent play and was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2022. In Washington, Porziņģis bounced back, but was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2023 as part of the Wizards' front office's desire to rebuild.
Early Career
Porziņģis followed in his parents' footsteps and started to play basketball at age six. Once he turned 12, his older brother, Jānis, who played professionally in Europe, took Porziņģis to offseason training sessions.
He played in youth competitions with BK Liepājas Lauvas, the most famous club based in his hometown of Liepāja, until age 15. An agent from Latvia sent video of Porziņģis around this time to teams in Spain and Italy.
In 2010, Baloncesto Sevilla, a club that had a professional team competing in the Liga ACB in Spain, called Porziņģis for a tryout in an attempt to recruit foreign talent to its junior squads. He stood 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighed 157 lb (71 kg) at this time. Porziņģis recalled the moment and said, "I came here with my brother for two or three days, but it was really hot and I couldn't play at my best because of that.
Still, I received a contract in summer 2010 and I signed it." Inmaculada Avivar, a nutritionist for Sevilla, diagnosed that Porziņģis was suffering from anemia, meaning that he had fewer red blood cells.
This caused Porziņģis to feel fatigue, shortness of breath, and inability to exercise. Nevertheless, he gradually overcame the condition and began seeing improvement in his game.
In addition to his medical problems, Porziņģis had trouble picking up the language in Seville, making him reluctant to return there after his first tryout. In his first season playing for the junior squad, Porziņģis struggled to communicate with the coaching staff and his teammates and was often tired due to his health.
Porziņģis debuted for the youth squad on 4 January 2012, against its counterpart from Barcelona, adding 12 points and 10 rebounds. The opposing side was led by Alexander Zhigulin, who went on to enter the 2015 NBA draft and withdraw.[8] However, Sevilla was defeated, 56–75.
This game was part of the Ciutat de L'Hospitalet tournament, which led up to the Nike International Junior Tournament (NIJT). On 5 January, Porziņģis scored a personal best of 16 points on the Spars Sarajevo youth squad, helping Sevilla beat their opponents by a margin of eight points.
Porziņģis said, "I knew it was a prestigious tournament and that I had to do well. I think I could have done much better, but I wasn't physically 100 percent. I have seen videos and could have been much more aggressive. But I wish I could have played better."He finished the tournament averaging 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
Porziņģis represented the Sevilla junior team again at the same tournament in early 2013. Against Union Olimpija on 4 January, he recorded 15 points and six rebounds.
On 6 January, in the team's tournament finale vs Real Madrid's youth squad, Porziņģis scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He also made a total of five three-pointers.
Porziņģis proved to be more effective in his second year, averaging 16.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks and shooting .481 on three-pointers. This was his final stint in the youth categories of Sevilla.***
WALLPAPER KRISTAPS PORZINGIS
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