# Kristaps Porziņģis
**Kristaps Porziņģis** (born 1995 in Liepāja, Latvia) is a Latvian professional basketball player, a 7-foot-2 center and power forward who was drafted fourth overall by the [New York Knicks](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-knicks) in 2015 and won the 2024 NBA Championship with the [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics).[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) • [2](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5573339/2024/06/19/boston-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-nba-finals/) Over his first ten NBA seasons he averaged 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game on 46.1% shooting and 36.4% from three-point range across 533 games.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Physical profile | 7 ft 2 in (218 cm), 240 lb (108 kg); listed 7-foot-3 in sneakers, with a reported 7'6 wingspan[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) • [3](https://apnews.com/knicks-hope-turnaround-starts-with-7-foot-newcomer-porzingis-d99683ba545146c3a96c6581e8243a7a) • [4](https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/243152/Projecting-Year-2-Of-Kristaps-Porzingis) |
| Draft | Fourth overall by the New York Knicks in 2015, the franchise's highest pick since Patrick Ewing; NBA debut October 28, 2015[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) • [2](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5573339/2024/06/19/boston-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-nba-finals/) |
| First 10 seasons (through 2024-25) | 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks per game; 46.1% field goals, 36.4% on threes, over 533 games[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) |
| Signature distinction | Fastest player in NBA history to 500+ three-pointers and 500+ blocks, reaching both in 247 games[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) |
| Three-point volume | NBA.com reported 737 career threes at the time of its analysis, more than twice as many as any other player 7-foot-1 or taller[6](https://www.nba.com/news/film-study-kristaps-porzingis-celtics) |
| Peak seasons | 22.7 ppg with New York in 2017-18 (All-Star); career-high 23.2 ppg with Washington in 2022-23[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) |
| Championship | 2024 NBA title with Boston; 12.3 points and 1.6 blocks in seven 2024 playoff games[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) |
| Availability | Fewer than 60 games played in six of his last seven campaigns[7](https://www.reuters.com/sports/report-hawks-acquire-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-3-team-trade-2025-06-25/) |
## Early life and European career
Porziņģis grew up in Liepāja, a coastal city in Latvia, and played youth competition with BK Liepājas Lauvas until he was 15 years old.[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) He moved to Spain for the 2011-12 season, signed by Cajasol Sevilla, and played for Latvian U16, U18, and U20 national teams.[8](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kristaps-porzingis/profile/003695/) Across 50 EuroCup games for Sevilla he averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks, and he was named the 2014-15 Eurocup Rising Star.[8](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kristaps-porzingis/profile/003695/) • [9](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/where-kristaps-porzingis-celtics-latvia/432837f742ff47bc76b08add)
## NBA draft and New York years
The Knicks selected him with the fourth overall pick in 2015, their highest selection since [Patrick Ewing](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-ewing), and he made his NBA debut on October 28, 2015.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) • [2](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5573339/2024/06/19/boston-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-nba-finals/) As a rookie he played 72 games, averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 28.4 minutes, led NBA rookies in blocks at 1.86 per game, set a Knicks rookie record with 134 total blocks, made the All-Rookie First Team, and finished second to [Karl-Anthony Towns](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-anthony-towns) in Rookie of the Year media balloting.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) • [5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) Then-team president [Phil Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-jackson) said his shooting range extended to 30 feet, and his height was measured at 7-foot-3 in sneakers.[3](https://apnews.com/knicks-hope-turnaround-starts-with-7-foot-newcomer-porzingis-d99683ba545146c3a96c6581e8243a7a)
His 2017-18 season made him a star: 22.7 points per game in 48 games, an All-Star selection, and the NBA lead in blocks at 2.40 per game at the time of his season-ending injury.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) • [5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) He made his only All-Star appearance as a Knick.[2](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5573339/2024/06/19/boston-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-nba-finals/)
## Injuries and availability
**The ACL tear.** On February 6, 2018, Porziņģis tore the ACL in his left knee. Before the injury he averaged a team-high 22.6 points and an NBA-high 2.4 blocks per game.[10](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24786247/there-no-protocol-7-3-guy-rehabbing-acl-tear) He missed the entire 2018-19 season.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) His rehabilitation was deliberately conservative; he said "there is no protocol for a 7-3 guy" and worked at Real Madrid's facilities in Spain and in Latvia under physiotherapist Manolo Valdivieso.[10](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24786247/there-no-protocol-7-3-guy-rehabbing-acl-tear)
**The 2024 playoff injuries.** In Boston's 2024 title run he missed over five weeks with a calf strain suffered in Game 4 of the first-round series against Miami, then tore the medial retinaculum in his left leg in Game 2 of the [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals), an injury the team described as "rare," which allowed his posterior tibialis tendon to dislocate and kept him out of Games 3 and 4.[11](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40373175) The leg injury required surgery with a recovery of a few months, and it kept him out of the first 17 games of the 2024-25 season.[11](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40373175) • [12](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/24/sports/celtics-kristaps-porzingis-traded/)
The cumulative pattern is the central fact of his career: he has played fewer than 60 games in six of his last seven campaigns.[7](https://www.reuters.com/sports/report-hawks-acquire-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-3-team-trade-2025-06-25/)
## Mavericks, Wizards, and Celtics tenures
Porziņģis signed with Dallas for 2018-19, and later signed with Washington in February 2022.[8](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kristaps-porzingis/profile/003695/) His 2022-23 season in Washington was his most productive: 65 games (his most starts since 2016-17), career highs in points (23.2), assists (2.7), and steals (0.9), and a career-best 49.8% from the field. He was one of only three players that season to average at least 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks, alongside [Anthony Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-davis) and [Joel Embiid](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-embiid).[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) • [5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio)
He engineered a sign-and-trade to Boston, signing a two-year, $60 million deal through 2026. The trade cost the Celtics guard [Marcus Smart](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcus-smart), and the 7-foot-2 Porziņģis addressed what the team saw as a need for half-court offense.[2](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5573339/2024/06/19/boston-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-nba-finals/)
## 2024 championship and later career
Porziņģis set a Celtics franchise record for the highest-scoring debut with 30 points against New York in the 2023-24 opener, surpassing [Dominique Wilkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominique-wilkins)' 25 points, and became the first player in NBA history with five made threes and four blocks in a team debut.[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) In the regular season he appeared in 57 games, all starts, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks while shooting 51.6% from the field and 37.5% from three.[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio)
In the 2024 playoffs he appeared in seven games, averaging 12.3 points and 1.6 blocks in 23.6 minutes. In the Finals opener on June 6 against Dallas he scored 20 points off the bench with six rebounds and three blocks, becoming the fourth player since 1970-71 to score at least 20 points off the bench in his first Finals game.[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) After the Game 2 leg injury he returned for 16 minutes in Boston's series-clinching 106-88 Game 5 win on June 17, scoring 5 points as the Celtics claimed their 18th NBA championship.[11](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40373175)
In 2024-25 he played 42 games for Boston, averaging 19.5 points on a career-best 41.2% three-point shooting.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) In June 2025 he was traded to the [Atlanta Hawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-hawks) in a three-team deal.[7](https://www.reuters.com/sports/report-hawks-acquire-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-3-team-trade-2025-06-25/) In 2025-26 he split time between Atlanta (17 games, 17.1 points per game) and Golden State (15 games, 16.1), averaging 16.7 points overall.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html)
## Playing style and skills
Porziņģis's game combines size with perimeter skill. At the time of the cited NBA.com analysis, he had made 737 career three-pointers, more than twice as many as any other player 7-foot-1 or taller, and he is the only player in the 44 seasons of the three-point line to average at least two threes and at least 1.5 blocks in multiple seasons (2019-20 and 2022-23).[6](https://www.nba.com/news/film-study-kristaps-porzingis-celtics) His shot diet is perimeter-oriented: only 46% of his 2022-23 shots came in the paint, and spot-ups accounted for 22% of his points that season.[6](https://www.nba.com/news/film-study-kristaps-porzingis-celtics)
He is also an efficient interior scorer. In 2022-23 he shot 61.0% (86-for-141) on post-ups, second among the 17 players with at least 100 post attempts, trailing only [Nikola Jokić](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikola-jokic), and in 2023-24 he averaged 1.30 points per post-up possession, a mark that would rank third among players with at least one post-up per game in a single season dating at least to 2015-16.[6](https://www.nba.com/news/film-study-kristaps-porzingis-celtics) • [13](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5381229/2024/04/10/kristaps-porzingis-celtics-post-up-analytics/) As a rim protector, his 7'6 wingspan (a figure from an analytics analysis rather than an official league measurement) and mobility helped him rank 17th among qualifying players in opponent field-goal percentage at the rim at 47.7%; in 2022-23 opponents shot 56.1% at the rim when he was present.[4](https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/243152/Projecting-Year-2-Of-Kristaps-Porzingis) • [6](https://www.nba.com/news/film-study-kristaps-porzingis-celtics) Among his age cohort, at 21 he was one of three players age 22 or younger to make 100+ threes and block 100+ shots in a season, alongside [Dirk Nowitzki](https://www.edgepedia.org/dirk-nowitzki) and Karl-Anthony Towns.[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio)
## By the numbers
His season-by-season availability traces the injury history: 72 games as a rookie, 48 in the 2017-18 All-Star season cut short by the ACL tear, zero in 2018-19, 65 in 2022-23, 57 in the 2023-24 title season, and 42 in 2024-25.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html) His three-point accuracy among 7-footers is elite for volume: his career-best 41.2% in 2024-25 ranked 25th in the NBA among all players and second among 7-footers, behind only Karl-Anthony Towns.[14](https://www.si.com/nba/hawks/onsi/news/atlanta-hawks-officially-announce-the-acquisition-of-kristaps-porzingis-01jzjyddsqja) He has produced the only two games in NBA history with 35+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ blocks, and 5+ three-pointers (December 12, 2017 against the Lakers and March 1, 2020 at Minnesota), and he has finished top-10 in the league in blocks four times.[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio) Across four postseasons he has appeared in 28 playoff games with 21 starts.[14](https://www.si.com/nba/hawks/onsi/news/atlanta-hawks-officially-announce-the-acquisition-of-kristaps-porzingis-01jzjyddsqja)
## National team career
Porziņģis came up through the Latvian U16, U18, and U20 programs and represents the Latvian senior national team, which ranked [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) in the world after a top-five finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.[8](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kristaps-porzingis/profile/003695/) • [9](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/where-kristaps-porzingis-celtics-latvia/432837f742ff47bc76b08add) When he made his NBA debut in 2015-16 he became the third Latvian-born player in league history, after Gundars Vētra and Andris Biedriņš.[5](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio)
## References
1. [Kristaps Porziņģis Stats, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html)
2. [Celtics' Kristaps Porziņģis found a home — and ring — by continuing to embrace change, The Athletic / New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5573339/2024/06/19/boston-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-nba-finals/)
3. [Knicks hope turnaround starts with 7-foot newcomer Porzingis, AP News](https://apnews.com/knicks-hope-turnaround-starts-with-7-foot-newcomer-porzingis-d99683ba545146c3a96c6581e8243a7a)
4. [Projecting Year 2 Of Kristaps Porzingis, RealGM Analysis](https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/243152/Projecting-Year-2-Of-Kristaps-Porzingis)
5. [Kristaps Porziņģis official bio, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/204001/bio)
6. [Film Study: What Kristaps Porzingis brings to Boston, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/film-study-kristaps-porzingis-celtics)
7. [Report: Hawks acquire Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis in 3-team trade, Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/report-hawks-acquire-celtics-kristaps-porzingis-3-team-trade-2025-06-25/)
8. [Kristaps Porzingis profile, EuroLeague Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kristaps-porzingis/profile/003695/)
9. [Where is Kristaps Porzingis from? Get to know Celtics star's Latvian roots, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/where-kristaps-porzingis-celtics-latvia/432837f742ff47bc76b08add)
10. [Kristaps Porzingis: There's 'no protocol for a 7-3 guy' rehabbing ACL tear, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24786247/there-no-protocol-7-3-guy-rehabbing-acl-tear)
11. [Kristaps Porzingis (leg) returns as Celtics win title; surgery next, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40373175)
12. [Celtics trade Kristaps Porzingis to Hawks, Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/24/sports/celtics-kristaps-porzingis-traded/)
13. [Kristaps Porziņģis' career was at a crossroads. Then he learned to trust the numbers, The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5381229/2024/04/10/kristaps-porzingis-celtics-post-up-analytics/)
14. [Atlanta Hawks Officially Announce The Acquisition Of Kristaps Porzingis, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nba/hawks/onsi/news/atlanta-hawks-officially-announce-the-acquisition-of-kristaps-porzingis-01jzjyddsqja)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Centers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license