Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis is on cloud nine after winning his first NBA Championship, but he faces a challenge after their celebrations are over.
The 7-foot-4 big man revealed he is set to undergo surgery for a "rare" left leg injury sustained in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum, leading to dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon, which will have a recovery process that will take "a few months," according to NBA reporter Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
After scoring 20 points in Game 1, the Latvian center sustained the injury during Game 2 and did not appear in Games 3 and 4.
Porzingis briefly returned in the championship-clinching Game 5 on Monday, June 17, at the TD Garden in Boston, where he scored 5 points on 2-of-4 shooting and grabbed a rebound in five minutes of action.
Kristaps Porzingis opens up on injury risk
Porzingis admitted that playing in Game 5 was a significant risk, especially considering he had recently returned from a right calf strain against the Miami Heat in the first round.
This calf injury, unrelated to his leg injury, caused him to miss ten playoff games, including the entire second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
"I think something could have happened, for sure, especially compensating now on the other leg now, which I just came back from. There was definitely some added risk, but I didn't care. I was like, 'I want to give everything I can and then fix it after if I need to," Porzingis said.
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