
Kristaps Porzingis is a Latvian professional basketball player who plays as a center for the Boston Celtics in the NBA as of October 2024. He was born on August 2, 1995, in Liepaja, Latvia, to parents Talis and Ingrida Porzingis. Kristaps Porzingis played for the New York Knicks after being drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NBA draft.
He played three seasons for the Knicks before getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks. In his debut match for the Mavericks, he scored 23 points and 4 rebounds against the Washington Wizards. The Mavs traded Porzingis to the Washington Wizards in 2022 as they wanted to build around Luka Doncic. In 2023, the Wizards traded the Latvian forward Porzingis to the Boston Celtics in a three-team blockbuster trade. He made his debut for the Green in a comeback game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and scored 30 points as he guided Boston to the victory. Porzingis played a key role in bringing the NBA title back to the Boston Celtics after over a decade of break.
Kristaps Porzingis’s Jersey Number
Kristaps Porzingis wears jersey number 8 for the Boston Celtics. In all his previous teams, including the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and the Wizards, Porzingis wore the #6 jersey. But in the Celtics, he wore #8 because the jersey #6 is retired for the NBA and Celtics legend the great Bill Russell.
Spanish Basketball League
Kristaps Porzingis started his professional basketball career playing for Sevilla in the LEB Oro of the Spanish Basketball League system. According to his Instagram post, his jersey number in Sevilla was 6. He represented his country in the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 championship. He also represented Latvia at the Eurobasket 2017 and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers. He was named EuroBasket Block leader in 2017. He was named EuroCup Rising Star in 2015 and won the ACB Best Young Player Award two times.
FAQs on Kristaps Porzingis
A. Kristaps Porzingis is 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m) tall.
A. As of October 2024, Kristaps Porzingis weighs 240 lbs (109 kg) as per his official NBA profile.
A. Kristaps Porzingis holds Latvian nationality.
A. Kristaps Porzingis has two siblings.