Celtics

Kristaps Porzingis will be out 5-6 months following successful ankle surgery

Porzingis is unlikely to be ready for Celtics training camp.

Center Kristaps Porzingis played 16 minutes in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

By Emma Healy, The Boston Globe

June 27, 2024

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis will be out the next 5-6 months following a successful ankle surgery, the team announced Thursday.

The surgery repaired a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon that Porzingis suffered in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 9. His recovery timeline makes it unlikely that Porzingis will be ready for training camp, which usually begins in September.

Porzingis addressed the news on X.

“Thanks for the support!” he wrote. “Everything went smooth. Now will take time to heal up and get ready to go again.”

The surgery also ruled Porzingis out of the Olympics, which he had hoped to qualify for with his native Latvia.

“Porzingis had hoped to delay surgery until after both the NBA Finals and Latvia’s Olympic campaign, but the injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition,” the Celtics said in a release Tuesday.

The big man missed Games 3 and 4 of the Finals before returning to play 16 minutes in a championship-clinching Game 5. The 7-foot-2 center checked in with 6:49 to go in the first quarter of Game 5, and he was moving gingerly. Closing out on 3-point shots was a struggle, and Porzingis scored just 5 points in 16 minutes while grabbing one rebound in the victory.