Porzingis out for Olympics after leg surgery
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will miss the Paris Olympics for Latvia after he undergoes surgery in the coming days to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon, the team announced Tuesday.
"This injury always requires surgical repair," the team said in a statement. "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."
Latvia will host an Olympic qualifying tournament in July and will need to win out against a field comprising Brazil, Montenegro, Cameroon, Georgia, and the Philippines to reach the Paris Games.
The big man suffered the injury in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. He missed Games 3 and 4 but returned in Game 5 as the Celtics beat the Mavericks to claim the NBA championship.
Porzingis said earlier in June that his recovery process after surgery will take a "few months."
Boston acquired him from the Washington Wizards last offseason. He averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds during the regular season but missed the majority of the playoffs due to a calf strain.