Why isn't Kristaps Porzingis playing in the 2024 Olympics?

Latvia and Boston Celtics superstar Kristaps Porzingis was largely expected to be the most notable player in the country’s men’s basketball team roster at the upcoming Paris Olympics. However, the Center has now been confirmed to be missing for the upcoming tournament owing to the leg injury that affected him in the NBA Finals.

Following the Boston Celtics’ first championship win since 2008, Porzingis underwent a series of diagnoses from doctors and has been told that he will need surgery to recover fully. The injury itself was picked up by the player during Game 2 of the NBA Finals, which the Celtics won. Porzingis had dislocated his posterior tibialis which led to his absence in the games that followed, as he returned to play for 16 minutes in the final match of the series.

However, according to NBCS Boston’s Chris Forsberg, while the player had every intention to play for his country and delay the surgery until after the Olympics, things have not panned out. Instead, he will be going under the knife in the coming days which is set to kickstart a recovery period of at least a month, before Porzingis returns to court activity.

The decision was confirmed by Celtics president Brad Stevens in a recent interview as well:

"We anticipate surgery will be soon. We'll have more of an update for timeline and recovery after surgery."

Hence, while the player had every intention of representing his nation, the need for surgery means that he will not be a part of Latvia’s roster in Paris.

Kristaps Porzingis wanted to delay surgery and play for Latvia

As it turns out, the latest injury seems to have is completely unrelated to Porzingis’ recent injury troubles. He had initially missed 10 games after picking up what was a calf strain during the first-round NBA Playoff series against the Miami Heat. However, upon his return in the Finals, Porzingis ended up picking another tendon issue, unrelated to his previous knock.

The Celtics confirmed the same via a statement, as the latest issue is a more serious dislocation which may have gotten worse following his decision to play in the final game against the Dallas Mavericks:

“The injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition. Surgery will be performed in the coming days, and further updates will be provided when available,”

Still, Porzingis not only played an integral role for the Celtics all through the Regular Season. He returned from the championship-winning postseason with 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, and was hoping to make the Olympics his second memorable commitment in a matter of weeks.

The newly crowned champion will surely be disappointed that Latvia will have to suit up without their biggest star in Paris.