Celtics’ Kristaps Porziņģis to Undergo Surgery After Winning NBA Championship

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will undergo surgery for his leg injury after returning for Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN.

Porzingis won his first championship ring on Monday night but later revealed to ESPN that his injury will require surgery, followed by “a few months” of recovery.

Porzingis suffered what the team dubbed a “rare” injury during Game 2 of the Finals, a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon. The injury saw him miss Games 3 and 4 in Dallas, but he returned for Game 5 to a standing ovation at TD Garden. Porzingis recorded five points and one rebound in 16 minutes. 

The Celtics big man previously missed time due to a calf strain he suffered in Game 4 of Boston's first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. Porzingis averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds for Boston during their 64-win regular season and was efficient in the Celtics’ Game 1 and 2 Finals wins, averaging 16 points and five rebounds per game.

“A lot of effort went into all of this and also for myself, just being hurt and trying to push through it,” Porzingis said after the Celtics’ NBA title win. “I think today was the pinnacle of that. My leg is not great, but I gave everything I could to the team, and we are the world champs.”