Kristaps Porzingis revealed on Tuesday that he’s dealing with plantar fasciitis in his foot, and the new Celtics big man will not play for his native Latvia in the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
Porzingis made an announcement on his Twitter/X account that the decision was made after multiple tests of the foot.
“It is difficult, I feel very responsible to myself and the supporters of the Latvian national team, but a decision has been made that I will not play in the World Cup,” Porzingis said, via Google Translate.
“After several weeks of recovery and a repeat MRI examination, the plantar fasciitis of my foot still prevents me from being on the field in full readiness.
“This joint decision has been made by both the medical staff and coaching staff of the national team, as well as the Celtics team – with the advice and opinion that it is now necessary to continue the recovery process.
“Such a decision is not easy to make, but I promise that I will be there and support the team as much as I can.”
It’s unclear how the injury was sustained and how long Porzingis will be sidelined. Celtics training camp is expected to begin in late September with the preseason starting in early October. He has two-plus months to recover before the Celtics begin the regular season.
Still, the news is not ideal after the Celtics made a franchise-altering trade in June to acquire Porzingis in the deal that sent Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, especially given Porzingis’ injury history. The big man had the best and one of the healthiest seasons of his career in 2022-23, posting a career-best 23.2 points in 65 games. But he has had some trouble staying on the court throughout his career, which included tearing his ACL in 2018.
Porzingis’ injury is a big blow to Latvia’s hopes in the country’s first ever appearance in the World Cup. He was one of just two NBA players on the roster.
The group play schedule for the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament was released on Tuesday. The Celtics, who are in East Group C, will begin tournament play against the Nets at home on Nov. 10, followed by road games against the Raptors and Magic on Nov. 17 and 24 before returning home to wrap up group play versus the Bulls on Nov. 28.
The winners of each of the six groups – along with two wild-card teams – will advance to the knockout stage of the tournament, which begins with the quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5.
The Celtics’ full regular-season schedule will be released on Thursday. It was reported last week by The Athletic’s Shams Charania that the C’s will host the Heat in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals on Oct. 27. The Celtics will also visit the Lakers on Christmas Day, and face the defending champion Nuggets in Denver on Feb. 29, according to Charania.