Warriors' Kristaps Porziņģis Steps Away From Basketball to Prioritize Health

Golden State Warriors big man Kristaps Porziņģis announced Friday that he is stepping away from basketball to prioritize his health. The 31-year-old has not played for the Warriors this season while dealing with ongoing illness symptoms.

“This season I was really looking forward to running it with this group, but as I ramped up, my body didn’t respond the way I anticipated,” Porziņģis said in a statement quoted by ESPN, Fox News, CBS Sports and USA Today. “I’m doing good, but I know what it takes, and I’m not where I want to be to perform at the level that I expect from myself. At this point, I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love.”

This article summarizes published sports reports about Porziņģis’s health. It is not medical advice.

What Porziņģis said — and what he did not say

Porziņģis did not use the word retirement. USA Today noted that leaves open a possible return if his health improves. He said he wants to “show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense,” thanked his family and fans, and closed with “Onwards and upwards.”

He has been away from the team since late September, before training camp, CBS Sports reported. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said last month that Porziņģis would visit the facility for a check-in with the sports medicine and performance staff, USA Today reported. In mid-October Porziņģis posted that he was working with doctors, getting “better and better,” and needed patience — while pushing back on online rumors that alleged HIV or AIDS, Fox News and CBS Sports reported.

Health background reported by outlets

Reporting ties Porziņģis’s absences to symptoms associated with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which can involve dizziness and fatigue when standing, according to Fox News, CBS Sports and USA Today. Porziņģis previously described extreme fatigue during his Boston years. Specific current medical details beyond what he and team/league reporting have disclosed have not been fully publicized.

Over the last three seasons with the Celtics, Hawks and Warriors he has played only 74 games, CBS Sports said. He appeared in just 15 games for Golden State after Atlanta traded him midseason, USA Today reported. A former All-Star drafted No. 4 overall by the Knicks in 2015, he has career averages of about 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in 533 appearances, USA Today said.

Contract and roster context

Porziņģis signed a two-year, $40 million deal with Golden State in free agency this summer; the second year carries only a small guarantee reported around $3 million, CBS Sports said. ESPN reported earlier this week that the franchise had stopped making semimonthly payments on his $20 million salary for failing to render services; Fox News said he was not actively disputing the lack of payments and the players’ association had no plans to challenge it. Trade speculation has focused on using his expiring salary as a matching piece rather than as a healthy rotation big, CBS Sports reported.

Despite his absence, Golden State opened 6-3, seventh in a crowded West, with rookie big Yaxel Lendeborg stepping into a larger role, CBS Sports said. The Warriors are also short Jimmy Butler (torn ACL) and Moses Moody (torn patellar tendon).

What comes next

No return timetable has been announced. Porziņģis framed the choice as putting health first while seeking a respectful resolution with the franchise. Until doctors clear a path back — if one comes — Golden State will keep building without its hoped-for floor-spacing center.

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