Kristaps Porziņģis
Porziņģis during the 2015 NBA Summer League
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| No. 6 – New York Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
August 2, 1995 Liepāja, Latvia |
| Nationality | Latvian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| 2011–2015 | Baloncesto Sevilla |
| 2011–2012 | →Sevilla B |
| 2015–present | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvian pronunciation: ['kris.taps 'pʊ͡ɔr.ziɲ.ɟis]; born August 2, 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Knicks with the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft. Standing 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m), he plays the power forward and center positions. While being brought up in Liepāja, Latvia, Porziņģis started out his career with youth teams in his hometown before trying out and making the Baloncesto Sevilla youth squads. Following multiple years with the junior teams of Sevilla and representing them in Nike International Junior Tournaments, he was promoted to the senior squad. Porziņģis competed with the Latvia youth national team at the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.
Porziņģis followed his parents' footsteps and started to play basketball at age 6. Once he turned 12, his older brother, Jānis, who played professionally in Europe, would take Porziņģis to offseason training sessions. He played in youth competition with BK Liepājas Lauvas, the most famous club based in hometown of Liepāja, until he was 15 years old. An agent from Latvia sent video of him around this time to teams in Spain and Italy. In 2010, Baloncesto Sevilla, a club that had a professional team competing in the Liga ACB in Spain, called Porziņģis for a tryout in an attempt to recruit foreign talent to its junior squads. He stood 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighed 157 lbs (71 kg) at this time. Porziņģis recalled the moment and said, "I came here with my brother for two or three days, but it was really hot and I couldn't play at my best because of that. Still, I received a contract in summer 2010 and I signed it." Inmaculada Avivar, a nutritionist for Sevilla, diagnosed that Porziņģis was suffering from anemia, meaning that he had fewer red blood cells. This caused him to feel fatigue, shortness of breath, and inability to exercise. Nevertheless, he gradually overcame the condition and began seeing improvement in his game. In addition to his medical problems, Porziņģis had trouble picking up the language in Seville, making him reluctant to return there after his first tryout. In his first season playing for the junior squad, he struggled to communicate with the coaching staff and his teammates and was often sleepy due to his health.
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