Porzingis shares his injury story: 'There's never been anything like it' / News - Basketnews.com

The foot doesn't hurt in day-to-day activities, the pain only occurs after exercise, Porzingis said. Even though the Celtics wanted him to continue rehab, the player decided to go with the Latvian national team to the World Cup.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Kristaps Porzingis was supposed to be the biggest star of the Latvian national team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. However, the big man will not play due to an injury.

Kristaps Porzingis

Position:PF, CAge:28Height:221 cmWeight:109 kgBirth place:Liepaja, LatviaProfileNewsStatistics

BasketNews broke the story of Porzingis missing the tournament, a fact later confirmed by the player himself. A week after the news, the Latvian center is now with the team in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Latvia will begin its basketball journey on Friday, August 25th.

The Boston Celtics - the team he was traded to and then signed an extension with - did not initially want him to go to the World Cup and continue his rehabilitation instead. However, Porzingis decided to go.

"I said it's important for me to be around, even though I'm not playing. They supported my decision. Also, there's a long season ahead. It's important for me to spend time with my teammates, with my family, and Boston respected my decision," he explained in an interview with Sporta Studija.

Porzingis suffers from plantar fasciitis in his foot, an injury that prevents him from being fully ready.

"I have an idea where the injury occurred. But it's an injury that develops during a career and then jumps out onto the field. During the training process, it started to hurt," he said.

Porzingis revealed that the foot doesn't hurt in day-to-day activities. He can walk pain-free. The discomfort occurs only after exercise.

"There has never been anything like it. I felt that there were no options to achieve the shape I wanted. There was no logic in trying to break my feet," the center said.

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