Celtics

Kristaps Porzingis sheds light on ankle injury that will require offseason surgery

"I was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to play, if I'm going to play.'"

By Conor Ryan

June 18, 2024

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There was no doubt in Kristaps Porzingis’ mind on Monday morning.

Even though every step brought searing pain through his ankle, the 7-foot-2 center was going to step out on the parquet floor with a title on the line. 

A “rare” ankle suffered in Game 2 of the NBA Finals put his availability for the rest of Boston’s title run in jeopardy, with Porzingis ruled out for Game 3 and not touching the court in Game 4 despite being cleared for game action. 

But with a chance to clinch a championship at TD Garden within Boston’s grasp, Porzingis was ready to gut things out to help put his team over the top. 

“From this morning, I was preparing myself that I will go out there,” Porzingis said. “And, yeah, the medical staff was, like, unbelievable support for me and got me back out there somehow.

“And, man, I’m super thankful for them. And, yeah, I gave everything I could. I gave everything I could. And, man, it feels great to be a champion.”

Porzingis logged 16 minutes in Boston’s Game 5 clincher, with his ailing ankle clearly hindering him — especially as Dallas began to target him on defense.

The big man still managed to chip in with five points and one rebound off the bench, contributing

for a Celtics team that secured its 18th championship on Monday night.

Speaking after Boston’s victory, Porzingis finally offered up more insight on just what he was dealing with when it came to his ankle injury. 

“It was, like, something torn. And then my tendon is just out of place. And it pretty much hurts on every step,” Porzingis acknowledged. “Like, I would take a walk in Dallas, and my leg would swell up.

“I was like, I don’t know how I’m going to play, if I’m going to play. But my mindset was always, I’m going to try to find a way how I can manage this. And, yeah, somehow I got it going for this game. A lot of it was for sure like the adrenaline from just playing at the Garden and playing in front of our fans and having that opportunity to close it out. And, man, I got it going.” 

Boston still managed to go 11-2 this postseason without Porzingis, who also missed over a month of action after suffering a calf strain in Game 4 of the Celtics’ first-round series against the Heat.

The Celtics might need to brace themselves for more stretches without Porzingis in 2024-25 during their title defense. 

Speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Porzingis acknowledged that he will need offseason surgery to correct his ankle injury — adding that the recovery process will take a “few months.”

Porzingis acknowledged to Bontemps that playing on his injured ankle could have invited more risk for further injury, but stressed that he “didn’t care.” 

“I was like, ‘I want to give everything I can and then fix it after if I need to,” Porzingis told Bontemps. 

Even with his injury-plagued postseason, Porzingis stood as a game-changing addition to Boston’s roster this season — averaging 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Celtics in his first year with the team. 

Even with an arduous offseason ahead when it comes to his injuries, Porzingis has few regrets with how things played out — especially given the end result. 

“Man, from day one when I came in, my mindset was I’m going to give everything to this team and this city to try to win a championship here because I knew these guys have already been so close,” Porzingis said. “Yeah, once I got hurt, it was a heartbreaking moment for me. I didn’t want to accept the truth. It was like, no way it happened, right.

“But, yeah, tonight was the night. I was like, listen, I’m going to give it everything I have. And, yeah, I’m just super happy to be a part of this and give something to the team, and I’m super thankful for the support I’ve gotten from the fans. And tonight the arena was electric. It’s been unbelievable playing in front of these fans.”