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"Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvian pronunciation: [ˈkris.taps ˈpuɔr.ziɲ.ɟis]; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) tall, and plays both the power forward and center positions.
Born in Liepāja, Porziņģis began his professional career with EuroLeague team Sevilla in 2012. Porziņģis quickly rose through the team's youth ranks and became the figurehead of the senior team by 2013. He subsequently won the EuroCup Basketball Rising Star award in 2015, where, at age 18, he became the youngest ever recipient of the award. The following summer, he declared for the NBA draft, where he was selected fourth overall by the New York Knicks.
In New York, Porziņģis shone as the team's star; after disagreements with the front office, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2019. He remained as a star player in Dallas but was plagued by injuries during his tenure, and he was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2022....
Early career
Porziņģis followed his parents' footsteps and started to play basketball at age six.[1] Once he turned 12, his older brother, Jānis, who played professionally in Europe, would take him to offseason training sessions.[2] 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.[1] 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 lb (71 kg) at this time.[1][3] 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."[1] Inmaculada Avivar, a nutritionist for Sevilla, diagnosed that Porziņģis was suffering from anemia, meaning that he had fewer red blood cells.[4] 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.[1] 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.[1]
Porziņģis debuted for the youth squad on 4 January 2012, against its counterpart from Barcelona, adding 12 points and 10 rebounds. The opposing side was led by Alexander Zhigulin, who would go on to enter the 2015 NBA draft and withdraw.[5] However, Sevilla was defeated, 56–75.[6] This game was part of the Ciutat de L'Hospitalet tournament, which led up to the Nike International Junior Tournament (NIJT).[1] On 5 January, he scored a personal best of 16 points on the Spars Sarajevo youth squad, helping Sevilla beat their opponents by a margin of 8 points.[7] Porziņģis said, "I knew it was a prestigious tournament and that I had to do well", he said. "I think I could have done much better, but I wasn't physically 100 percent. I have seen videos and could have been much more aggressive. But I wish I could have played better."[1] He finished the tournament averaging 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.[1] Porziņģis represented the Sevilla junior team again at the same tournament in early 2013. Against Union Olimpija on 4 January, he recorded 15 points and 6 rebounds.[8] On 6 January, in the team's tournament finale vs Real Madrid's youth squad, he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He also made a total of five three-pointers.[9] Porziņģis proved to be more effective in his second year, averaging 16.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks and going .481 on three-pointers.[1] This would be his final stint in the youth categories of Sevilla.
Professional career
Sevilla (2012–2015)
2012–13: Rookie season
Entering the 2012–13 ACB season, Sevilla had hired Aíto García Reneses, who previously worked with the likes of Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernández.[1] On 29 September 2012, Porziņģis got the opportunity to make an appearance with the club's first team, but was allowed to play just a minute. Sevilla took a tremendous loss to CB Murcia.[10] Following a return to the youth categories of the club at the Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet, he went back to competing for the senior squad. On 16 January 2013, he logged only four minutes against Spartak Saint Petersburg in the EuroCup, scoring no points, but contributing one rebound and one assist.[11] He scored his first basket for the senior team on 20 February 2013, in a rematch with Spartak. Porziņģis said, "I was very nervous at the beginning: I wanted to do well and not pick up turnovers. At the same time, I got a lot of confidence with players of my same age. That allowed me to play better with the first team and practice with more confidence."[1] On 4 May 2013, he posted a season-high 7 points with the senior team, hitting two of three shots vs Bilbao Basket in ACB competition.[12]
2013–14: Second season and NBA consideration
Porziņģis opened his second season on Sevilla's main squad strong in his third game against the EuroLeague team Laboral Kutxa, leading them to a 20-point ACB victory on 2 November 2013.[1] He notched a career-high 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks.[13] He broke his scoring record once more against Real Madrid on 30 November 2013, nearly leading his team to a victory.[1][13] Against the very same team on 6 April 2014, Porziņģis scored a career-high 20 points, nailing 2 three-pointers.[13] Despite his team losing, he began to trend on social media because of his performance. He said, "It was a very good game for me on offense. I didn't get any rebounds in that game. I had a good shooting night, but could have helped more on defense. Still, fans in Madrid gave me a nice ovation when I fouled out and I liked that a lot."[1] On 25 May, he got the chance to face his idol Justin Doellman of Barcelona, whom he called the "best power forward in Spanish basketball". He scored 14 points against Doellman's team.[1][13] In May 2014, Porziņģis was selected in the ACB All-Young Players Team of the 2013–14 season.[14]
In April, Porziņģis declared himself eligible for the 2014 NBA draft.[15] Before and after he made the decision, he drew interest from National Basketball Association (NBA) teams such as the Orlando Magic, who held the 12th overall pick, and traveled to Europe to scout him. The Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly were certainly going to select him with the 21st pick in the case that he remained. Porziņģis was considered an unfinished product and a top-15 draft pick. According to DraftExpress.com, he was the fourth-youngest prospect in their top-100 rankings.[3][16] Shortly before the day of the draft, however, he withdrew his name. Porziņģis's agent Andy Miller released the information to ESPN, saying that his client did not feel prepared to become a part of the NBA and wanted to develop his skills until the 2015 draft. One of the league's general managers commented on him, "He's very talented. He wasn't ready, but we would've seriously considered drafting him anyway. If he continues to develop his game, get more minutes and his body develops, I think he could be a top-five pick in 2015. He has that kind of talent."[17]
2014–15: EuroCup Rising Star
Prior to the 2014–15 ACB season, head coach Aíto García Reneses parted ways with Sevilla.[18] On 4 October 2014, against CB 1939 Canarias, Porziņģis made his season debut in the Liga ACB, scoring 3 points in the game. He made his first appearance at the 2014–15 EuroCup on 15 October, vs. EWE Baskets Oldenburg and scored 2 points. However, he had a strong EuroCup performance against Pallacanestro Virtus Roma in the weeks that followed, in which he contributed 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. He recorded a double-double in mid-November in a win over Estudiantes, adding 11 points and 11 rebounds. On 11 February 2015, he scored a season-high 19 points against the EuroCup's Turów Zgorzelec. He tied this record on 18 April 2015, vs. Bàsquet Manresa in the ACB.[19] On 15 April 2015, Porziņģis was named the winner of the EuroCup Rising Star Award of the season.[20] One month later, he repeated in the ACB All-Young Players Team, after avoiding the relegation with Baloncesto Sevilla.[21]
New York Knicks (2015–2019)
Porziņģis during 2015 NBA Summer League
On 16 April 2015, Porziņģis entered the 2015 NBA draft, according to a report from agent Andy Miller.[22] After gaining a season more of experience, he became known as a lottery pick and a potential top-5 selection. He drew interest from teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, who had the No. 2 pick and had several personnel that had seen Porziņģis play in Spain.[23] He was compared with players such as Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki, but also Darko Miličić, a former lottery selection widely considered a draft bust.[24] Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote, "Porziņģis has an innate awareness about the way the American public sees a young, long European teenager. He comes to the NBA with the full understanding that popular basketball culture declares him guilty until proven innocent of the basketball crimes of Darko Miličić and Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Andrea Bargnani. He's considered a stiff, a bust, a blown lottery pick until he doesn't become one..."[25]
On 25 June 2015, Porziņģis was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.[26][27] He was booed by some New York fans upon being drafted, but vowed to change the fans' opinions on him from negative to positive.[28] On the same night, the New York Knicks traded for Porziņģis' teammate from Sevilla, Willy Hernangómez, who was originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as a 35th overall pick.[29] Porziņģis became the highest drafted Latvian and Baltic player in NBA history.
2015–16: Rookie season
Porziņģis on 31 October 2015, in his third NBA game
On 30 July 2015, Porziņģis signed his rookie-scale contract with the Knicks.[30] On 28 October 2015, he scored 16 points in his NBA debut, leading New York to a 122–97 season-opening win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He was 3 of 11 from the field and 9 of 12 from the line.[31] On 21 November 2015, he had 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots to lead the Knicks to a 107–102 victory over the Houston Rockets, becoming the first 20-year-old to post such a stat line in a single game since Shaquille O'Neal in 1992–93.[32]
He became the first rookie to reach those totals since Tim Duncan in 1998.[33] On 3 December 2015, he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November. He ranked third among all rookies in scoring (13.7 ppg) and was second in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and blocked shots (1.89 bpg) for October and November.[33] He went on to claim Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honours for December and January as well.[34][35] On 12 February 2016, he scored 30 points for Team World in the Rising Stars Challenge.[36][37] On 23 March 2016, he tied a career high with 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 115–107 win over the Chicago Bulls. He was one point short of becoming the first rookie since Patrick Ewing to put up 30 points and 10 rebounds in one game for the Knicks.[38]
Porziņģis appeared in 72 of the Knicks' 82 games in 2015–16, missing the final seven games of the season due to a right shoulder strain.[39] He finished with averages of 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. Porziņģis finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting behind winner Karl-Anthony Towns,[40] and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.[41]
2016–18: Rise to stardom
On 16 November 2016, Porziņģis scored a career-high 35 points in a 105–102 win over the Detroit Pistons.[42] On 11 December 2016, he recorded 26 points, 12 rebounds and a career high-tying seven blocks in a 118–112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[43] On 19 January 2017, he came off the bench for the first time in his NBA career after returning from a four-game absence due to a sore left Achilles tendon. He subsequently scored 15 points in a 113–110 loss to the Washington Wizards.[44] During the 2017 All-Star Weekend, Porziņģis played for Team World in the Rising Stars Challenge and won the Skills Challenge.[45]
In the Knicks' season opener the following season, on 19 October 2017, Porziņģis had 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 105–84 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[46] On 30 October 2017, he scored a career-high 38 points in a 116–110 win over the Denver Nuggets.[47] Less than a week later, on 5 November, Porziņģis set a new career high with 40 points in a 108–101 win over the Indiana Pacers.[48] Porziņģis was subsequently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, 30 October through Sunday, 5 November.[49] Porziņģis would record the best start to a season for Knicks player, earning 300 points through 10 games, two more than Bernard King had to open the 1984–85 season,[50][51] and his performances continued, where, on 23 January 2018, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve.[52]
However, on 6 February 2018, in a 103–89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks,[53] Porziņģis tore his left ACL.[54] He was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season.
2018–19: Injury and recovery
In October 2018, the Knicks decided against signing Porziņģis to a rookie extension, a move that would give New York an extra $10 million in cap space in the summer of 2019 while making Porziņģis a restricted free agent in the offseason.[55] Due to recovering from his ACL injury, Porziņģis did not play for the Knicks to begin the 2018–19 season.
Dallas Mavericks (2019–2022)
On 31 January 2019, after a meeting with the Knicks left franchise officials with the impression that he wanted to be traded,[56] Porziņģis was traded alongside Trey Burke, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., an unprotected 2021 first-round draft pick, and an additional top-ten protected 2023 first round draft pick.[57][58] He sat out the remainder of the 2018–19 season, healing from his ACL injury. On 12 July, Porziņģis agreed to re-sign with the Mavericks on a five-year maximum contract worth $158 million.[59][60]
2019–20: Playoff debut
Porziņģis debuted for the Mavericks on 23 October 2019, posting 23 points and 4 rebounds in a 108–100 win over the Washington Wizards.[61] On 31 January 2020, he scored a then season-high 35 points, along with 12 rebounds in a 128–121 loss to the Houston Rockets.[62] On 3 February, that season-high would be surpassed with a 38-point, 12-rebound performance in a 112–103 win over the Indiana Pacers.[63] Just two days later, Porziņģis would follow that up with 32 points and 12 rebounds in a 121–107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, before leaving the game with a broken nose.[64][65] On 1 March, Porziņģis matched his then season-high 38 points, along with 14 rebounds and 5 blocks, in a 111–91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[66] Three days later, he registered 34 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in a 127–123 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans, becoming the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to have consecutive 30-point, 5-block games.[67][68] On 2 March 2021, Porziņģis was named the Western Conference player of the week, his second time to earn player of the week honors. From 25 February to 1 March Porzingis averaged 26.3 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game. The Mavericks won three games and lost once.[69] On 31 July, Porziņģis recorded a season-high 39 points, as well as 16 rebounds, in a 153–149 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets. This was the Mavericks’ first game in the Orlando bubble, returning from a four-month hiatus due to the [70] Porziņģis finished his bubble play strong, averaging 30.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game across six games, earning him All Seeding Games Second Team honors. .[71]
On 17 August, Porziņģis made his NBA playoff debut in a 118–110 loss in Game 1 to the Los Angeles Clippers, recording 14 points and six rebounds before being ejected early in the third quarter following an altercation with Marcus Morris.[72] Two days later in Game 2, Porziņģis would help the Mavericks even up the series with a 23-point and 7-rebound performance in a 127–114 victory before posting 34 points and 13 rebounds in a 130–122 loss in Game 3.[73][74] However, Porziņģis would miss the remainder of the series with a lateral meniscus tear and Dallas would be eliminated in six games.[75]
2020–21: Playoff fallout
Porziņģis with the Mavericks in 2020
Porziņģis had surgery on his torn lateral meniscus on 9 October 2020.[76] Porziņģis would go on to miss the first 9 games of the 2020-21 NBA season recovering from surgery before making his season debut on 13 January 2021, against the Charlotte Hornets. Porziņģis scored 16 points in his season debut and was held to a 21-minute restriction.[77] As a precautionary measure, Porziņģis would not play in the majority of back to back games during the regular season. On 12 February 2021, Porzingis would score a season high 36 points with a career high eight made three pointers in a 143–130 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.[78] On 26 March 2021, Porziņģis would tie a career high by grabbing 18 rebounds in a 109–94 loss to the Indiana Pacers.[79] Dallas improved on their previous season record and finished the season 42–30. The Mavericks clinched the Southwest division for the first time since the 2009–10 season following a 110–90 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on 7 May 2021.[80] Porziņģis finished the season averaging 20.1 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game. The 2020–21 season proved to be Porziņģis' most efficient season of his career thus far, posting career highs in eFG%, TS% and FG% statistics. Porziņģis became just the sixth player in Dallas Mavericks franchise history to have multiple seasons averaging over 20 points per game, joining Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Luka Dončić, Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki.[81]
However, Porziņģis' numbers dropped drastically during the first round of the playoffs, averaging 13.1 points per game and grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. The Mavericks would go onto lose in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers for the second consecutive season in seven games.[82] Following the series, Porziņģis would get roundly mocked for his subpar performance during the series with many fans calling him "Pandemic P",[83] a name originally used for mocking Paul George for his abysmal performance during the 2020 playoffs. Porziņģis was disgruntled with his role in the first round series against the Clippers, often being relegated to a decoy or three-point spacing threat. Rumors of him wanting a trade in the offseason began to form, but nothing became of it. Porziņģis began training for the upcoming season. In an Instagram post, Porziņģis vowed to come back stronger and more refined and that the Unicorn 2.0 was incoming.[84]
2021–22 season
Following the 2021 playoffs, the Mavericks parted ways with long time head coach Rick Carlisle who resigned from his position as head coach after 13 seasons.[85][86] Jason Kidd was hired as the team's new head coach, marking Porziņģis' sixth head coach in seven NBA seasons. The 2021 offseason was the first offseason that Porziņģis was not recovering from injury since entering the league in 2015.[87]
Porziņģis scored 11 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and recorded 2 blocks in the Mavericks season opening 87–113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[88] Porziņģis would play three games before missing a string of games with lower back tightness. Porziņģis made his return to action 6 November 2021, against the Boston Celtics. He scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Porziņģis scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, including a putback dunk to tie the game at 104.[89] Porziņģis scored a season-high 32 points in a 123–109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on 12 November 2021.[90]
Washington Wizards (2022–present)
On 10 February 2022, the Mavericks traded Porziņģis and a protected 2022 second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Dāvis Bertāns.[91]
National team career
Junior national team
Porziņģis played with the Latvian youth team and was selected in the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship All-Tournament Team.
Senior national team
In 2017, Porziņģis played for Latvia at EuroBasket 2017, where he averaged 23.6 points per game (ranked third), 5.9 rebounds per game (ranked 19th) and 1.9 blocks per game (ranked first).[92] Latvia was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Slovenia, losing 97–103. Against Slovenia, Porzingis scored a tournament-high 34 points despite playing in foul trouble throughout the game. Porzingis scored 16 of his 34 points in the final period to help Latvia cut Slovenia's 13-point lead to two with two minutes remaining. Future teammate and then 18-year-old, Luka Dončić, scored 27 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for Slovenia.
Player profile
"He's a guy I've always looked up to. It's not fair for me to be compared to a legend like him."
—Porziņģis on Dirk Nowitzki, August 2017[93]
Porziņģis has been compared to Dirk Nowitzki, with the pair having both been groomed in Europe before entering the NBA. Both Porziņģis and Nowitzki are seven-foot-plus players who are comfortable anywhere on the front line and can both shoot from the outside.[93] During his rookie season, Kevin Durant dubbed Porziņģis a basketball "unicorn" because of his rare combination of talents.[94] In January 2018, Porziņģis was averaging 19 shot attempts per game for the Knicks, the most ever by a player his size (the only players 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) or taller to average 15 field goal attempts per game were Ralph Sampson and Yao Ming). Due to his height and mobility, Porziņģis is able to shoot over most defenders, with his sheer size and high volume creating a unique advantage shared by no other player in the league.[95]
Career statistics
Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
FG% Field goal percentage 3P% 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage
RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game
BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
NBA
Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 New York 72 72 28.4 .421 .333 .838 7.3 1.3 .7 1.9 14.3
2016–17 New York 66 65 32.8 .450 .357 .786 7.2 1.5 .7 2.0 18.1
2017–18 New York 48 48 32.4 .439 .395 .793 6.6 1.2 .8 2.4 22.7
2019–20 Dallas 57 57 31.8 .427 .352 .799 9.5 1.8 .7 2.0 20.4
2020–21 Dallas 43 43 30.9 .476 .376 .855 8.9 1.6 .5 1.3 20.1
2021–22 Dallas 34 34 29.5 .451 .283 .865 7.7 2.0 .7 1.7 19.2
Career 320 319 31.0 .442 .353 .816 7.8 1.5 .7 1.9 18.7
Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020 Dallas 3 3 31.3 .525 .529 .870 8.7 .7 .0 1.0 23.7
2021 Dallas 7 7 33.3 .472 .296 .842 5.4 1.3 1.3 .7 13.1
Career 10 10 32.7 .491 .386 .857 6.4 1.1 .9 .8 16.3
Europe
Liga ACB
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Cajasol Sevilla 7 0 14.9 .500 .500 .667 .7 .0 .3 .1 2.6
2013–14 Cajasol Sevilla 32 32 14.9 .476 .333 .607 2.8 .3 .6 .9 6.7
2014–15 Baloncesto Sevilla 34 34 21.7 .471 .313 .774 4.8 .4 .9 1.0 10.7
Career 73 67 17.3 .474 .326 .730 3.5 .3 .7 .9 8.2
Personal life
Kristaps Porziņģis in 2017, when he was in Latvia
Porziņģis was born to parents who had experience playing the game of basketball. Tālis, his father, competed semi-professionally before becoming a bus driver. His mother, Ingrīda, was previously on Latvia women's youth national basketball team.[96] Kristaps's older brother, Jānis, also played professionally,[1] while Mārtiņš, who is approximately fifteen years older than his youngest sibling, was also an avid player.[96] In a 2017 E:60 documentary on Porziņģis' life, his parents revealed that they had another son, Toms, who was born four years before Kristaps and died at 14 months. Through an interpreter, Ingrīda said about Toms' death, "It felt like a bulldozer had run over my life. We had two other children who we had to care for. We had to live on. After Kristaps was born, it was like he had to live for two lives."[97]
Jānis Porziņģis competed at the European second tier EuroCup level, the same level in Europe that Kristaps later played at, in one game,[98] and played European professional club basketball in various national leagues, including the Italian League,[99] for more than 10 years. He is known to mentor his younger brother on and off the court and often called him after playing games for Cajasol Sevilla in Spain. Kristaps talked about the relationship in an interview, "We'd break down the details. We watched the film together. He's always pushing me to work hard. We just spend a lot of time together and we just talk about basketball all the time..."[100] The elder Porziņģis helped him train in the summer and work out in the gym in preparation for international competition in 2012.[1]
Following two seasons in Spain and almost two years living in Seville, Porziņģis was able to speak Spanish far more fluently. Porziņģis is thus fluent in three different languages, including English.[1] An NBA executive said, "He speaks great English and I don't see it being that difficult of a transition off the court."[101] In October 2016, Porziņģis signed a shoe deal with Adidas, the most lucrative deal for a European player. He made the switch to Adidas after partnering with Nike for his rookie season.[102][103]
Porziņģis is a football fan and supports his hometown team FK Liepāja, as well as Real Madrid and former club Sevilla.[104][non-primary source needed] He is also an avid fan of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which he plays regularly.[105]
In 2015, Porziņģis was named the Latvian Rising Star of the Year." (wikipedia.org)
"The New York Knickerbockers,[3][7] shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other team is the Brooklyn Nets. Alongside the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams still located in its original city.
The team, established by Ned Irish in 1946, was one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which became the NBA after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949. The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchise's first head coach Joe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team subsequently began to falter.
It was not until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became the head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances; however, they failed to participate in the NBA Finals.
The playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing; this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, making NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999. However, they were unable to win an NBA championship during this era.
Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain their former successes, but won their first division title in 19 years in 2012–13, led by a core of forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. They were eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers, and had failed to make the playoffs for eight years until 2020–21 when they were led by forward Julius Randle and sophomore RJ Barrett, who was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft....
History
See also: List of New York Knicks seasons
1946–1967: Early years
In 1946, basketball, particularly college basketball, was a growing and increasingly profitable sport in New York City.[9] Hockey was another popular sport at the time and generated considerable profits; however, the arenas were not used often.[10] Max Kase, a New York sportswriter, became the sports editor at the Boston American in the 1930s, when he met Boston Garden owner Walter A. Brown.[11] Kase developed the idea of an organized professional league to showcase college players upon their graduation and felt it could become profitable if properly assembled.[11] Brown, intrigued by the opportunity to attain additional income when the hockey teams were not playing or on the road, contacted several arena owners.[11] On June 6, 1946, Kase and Brown and a group of seventeen others assembled at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), where charter franchises were granted to major cities throughout the country.[12]
Ned Irish, a college basketball promoter, retired sportswriter and then president of Madison Square Garden, was in attendance.[11][13] Kase originally planned to own and operate the New York franchise himself and approached Irish with a proposal to lease the Garden.[11] Irish explained that the rules of the Arena Managers Association of America stated that Madison Square Garden was required to own any professional teams that played in the arena.[11] On the day of the meeting, Kase made his proposal to the panel of owners; however, they were much more impressed by Irish and his vast resources; Kase relented and the franchise was awarded to Irish.[11]
Irish wanted a distinct name for his franchise that was representative of the city of New York.[14] He called together members of his staff for a meeting to cast their votes in a hat. After tallying the votes, the franchise was named the Knickerbockers.[14] The "Knickerbocker" name comes from the pseudonym used by Washington Irving in his book A History of New York, a name that became applied to the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of what later became New York, and later, by extension, to New Yorkers in general.[3] In search of a head coach, Irish approached successful St. John's University coach Joe Lapchick in May 1946.[14] Lapchick readily accepted after Irish promised to make him the highest-paid coach in the league; however, he requested he remain at St. John's one more season in hopes of winning one last championship.[15] Irish obliged, hiring former Manhattan College coach Neil Cohalan as interim coach for the first year.[15]
With no college draft in the league's initial year, there was no guarantee that the Knicks or the league itself would thrive.[16] Consequently, teams focused on signing college players from their respective cities as a way to promote the professional league.[15] The Knicks held their first training camp in the Catskill Mountains at the Nevele Country Club.[17] Twenty-five players were invited to attend the three-week session.[17] Players worked out twice a day and the chemistry between the New York natives was instant.[18] With a roster assembled, the Knicks faced the Toronto Huskies at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens on November 1, 1946, in what would be the franchise's first game—as well as the first in league history.[17] In a low-scoring affair presented in front of 7,090 spectators, the Knicks defeated the Huskies 68–66 with Leo Gottlieb leading the Knicks in scoring with 14 points.[19] With Madison Square Garden's crowded schedule, the Knicks were forced to play many of their home games at the 69th Regiment Armory during the team's early years.[13] The Knicks went on to finish their inaugural campaign with a 33–27 record and achieved a playoff berth under Cohalan despite a dismal shooting percentage of 28 percent.[16] The Knicks faced the Cleveland Rebels in the quarterfinals, winning the series 2–1.[20] However, the Knicks were swept by the Philadelphia Warriors in two games in the semifinals.[20]
As promised, Lapchick took over in 1947, bringing with him his up-tempo coaching style, which emphasized fast ball movement.[21] Six new players were signed, including guard Carl Braun[20] and Japanese-American guard Wataru Misaka, the first non-Caucasian basketball player in the BAA.[22] Under Lapchick, the Knicks made nine straight playoff appearances beginning in 1947.[23] Braun, who averaged 14.3 points, emerged as the team's star and paired with Dick Holub and Bud Palmer to account for half of the team's offense.[20] Despite this, the Knicks struggled throughout the year, compiling a 26–22 record.[20] Their finish was good enough to place them second in the Eastern Division and secure a playoff match-up against the Baltimore Bullets where they lost the series two games to one.[20] In the 1948 NBA draft, the Knicks selected two future Hall of Fame players in center Dolph Schayes and Harry Gallatin.[24] The Knicks were leery of Schayes' talent, prompting the center to leave to play for the Syracuse Nationals of the struggling National Basketball League.[24] Despite losing Schayes, the team started the year well going 17–8 before they fell into a slump.[25] They ended the year with a seven-game win streak to finish with a 32–28 record and a third-straight playoff appearance.[25] The Knicks defeated the Bullets in a rematch of their previous encounter in 1947, winning the series 2–1.[25] The team however struggled against the Washington Capitols and lost the series 1–2.[25]
Lapchick was responsible for leading the Knicks during their early success. However, these ventures never culminated with a win in the NBA Finals.
Prior to the beginning of the 1949–50 season, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association with the BAA absorbing six teams from its former competitor.[23] Despite division realignments, the Knicks remained in the Eastern Division.[23] The team continued its dominance under Lapchick, winning 40 games; however they lost the Eastern Division finals to the Syracuse Nationals.[23]
The following season, the Knicks made history signing Sweetwater Clifton to a contract, thus becoming the first professional basketball team to sign an African American player.[23] During this same season, the Knicks finished with a 36–30 record. Though they placed third in their division, they secured a playoff spot and began the first of three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals.[23] In spite of their success, the Knicks could not overcome the Rochester Royals despite a valiant comeback after losing the first three games of the Finals.[23] The next two years, in 1952 and 1953, New York fell to the Minneapolis Lakers in the Finals.[23]
It was during this early period, the Knicks developed their first standout players in Carl Braun who retired as the Knicks leading scorer with 10,449 points before later being surpassed by the likes of Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier and Willis Reed.[23] Harry Gallatin and Dick McGuire were also well-known standouts on the team and were later enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[23]
Following these back-to-back losses, the Knicks made the playoffs in the subsequent two years with no success. Lapchick resigned as the team's head coach in January 1956 citing health-related issues.[26] Vince Boryla made his debut in February 1956 as the Knicks' new coach in a win over the St. Louis Hawks.[27] However, after two seasons of poor performances and no playoff appearances, Boryla tendered his resignation from the team in April 1958.[28]
Looking to regain their former dominance, Andrew Levane was named the head coach and in his first year, the results were significantly better as the team finished with a 40–32 record, securing their playoff spot.[29] However, the Knicks could not manage to get past the Eastern Division semi-finals.[29] The Levane-led squad fared poorly to begin the 1959–60 season and under mounting pressure Levane resigned and was immediately replaced by Carl Braun, who became the team's first player-coach.[30] The team did not fare much better under Braun and the Knicks hired Eddie Donovan, who helped build up St. Bonaventure's basketball team, in 1961.[31] During Donovan's tenure, New York failed to achieve a playoff berth. As a testament to their struggles, on March 2, 1962, the Knicks faced the Philadelphia Warriors in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where they infamously allowed Wilt Chamberlain to score an NBA-record 100 points in a 169–147 Warriors victory.[23][29]
In 1964, the franchise's fortunes began to take a steady turn. The Knicks drafted center Willis Reed, who made an immediate impact on the court and was named NBA Rookie of the Year for his efforts.[23] However, the leaders of the team still remained in flux. In an attempt to reorganize, the Knicks named former standout Harry Gallatin as head coach while reassigning Donovan to general manager position.[32] After a slow start in 1965, Dick McGuire, another former Knick, replaced his former teammate Gallatin midway through the season.[29] Though he failed to guide the Knicks to the playoffs in 1965, he managed to do so the following season, however, the Knicks lost in the Eastern Division semi-finals.[29]
1967–1975: Championship years
Willis Reed and Walt 'Clyde' Frazier, under coach Red Holzman, brought the Knicks two NBA Championships in the early 1970s
The Knicks started their 1967–68 season with a 124–122 win over the visiting Warriors. In that game, seven players on the Knicks' roster scored in double figures.[33] However, the Knicks lost their next six games, falling to a 1–6 record. They managed to stop their losing streak on November 1, 1967, when the Knicks won the road game against the Lakers, 129–113. During the game, Willis Reed scored a career-high 53 points on 21-of-29 shooting from the field.[34] On November 3, the Knicks defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 134–100 in Seattle. In that game, nine Knicks' player scored at least 10 points.[35] Head coach Dick McGuire was replaced midway through the 1967–68 season after the team began the season with a 15–22 record.[29] With the Knicks under .500, the team decided to hire coach Red Holzman, whose impact was immediate. Under his direction, the Knicks went 28–17 and finished with a 43–39 record thus salvaging a playoff berth, however, the Knicks were again vanquished in the Eastern Division semi-finals by the Philadelphia 76ers.[29] However their roster was slowly coming together piece by piece. Rookies Phil Jackson and Walt Frazier were named to the NBA All-Rookie Team while Dick Barnett and Willis Reed performed in the 1968 NBA All-Star Game.[23]
The following season, the team acquired Dave DeBusschere from the Detroit Pistons, and the team went 54–28.[29][36] In the playoffs, New York made it past the first round of contention for the first time since 1953, sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games, before falling to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division finals.[37]
In the 1969–70 season, the Knicks had a then-single-season NBA record 18 straight victories en route to a 60–22 record, which was the best regular season record in the franchise's history to that point.[38][39] After defeating the Bullets in the Eastern Division semifinals and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Division finals, the Knicks faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.[38] With the series tied at 2–2, the Knicks would be tested in Game 5. Willis Reed tore a muscle in his right leg in the second quarter, and was lost for the rest of the game.[40] Despite his absence, New York went on to win the game, rallying from a 16-point deficit.[40]
Without their injured captain the Knicks lost Game 6, setting up one of the most famous moments in NBA history.[40] Reed limped onto the court before the seventh game, determined to play through the pain of his injury.[40] He scored New York's first two baskets before going scoreless for the remainder of the contest.[40] Although he was not at full strength, Reed's heroics inspired the Knicks, and they won the game by a score of 113–99, allowing New York to capture the title that had eluded them for so long.[40] Reed, who had been named the All-Star MVP and the league's MVP that season, was named MVP of the Finals, becoming the first player to attain all three awards in a single season.[40]
The Knicks' success continued for the next few years. After losing to the Bullets in the 1971 Eastern Conference finals, the team, aided by the acquisitions of Jerry Lucas and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, returned to the Finals in 1972.[23] This time the Knicks fell to the Lakers in five games.[23] The next year, the results were reversed, as the Knicks defeated the Lakers in five games to win their second NBA title in four years.[41] The team had one more impressive season in 1973–74, as they reached the Eastern Conference finals, where they fell in five games to the Celtics.[42] It was after this season that Willis Reed announced his retirement, and the team's fortunes began to shift once more.[43]
1975–1985: Post-championship years
In the 1974–75 season, the Knicks posted a 40–42 record, their first losing record in eight seasons. The team still qualified for a playoff spot, however, but they lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round.[23] After two more seasons with losing records,[29] Holzman was replaced by Willis Reed, who signed a three-year contract.[44] In Reed's first year, New York finished the year with a 43–39 record and returned to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where they were swept by the Philadelphia 76ers.[45] The next season, after the team began with a 6–8 record,[46] Holzman was rehired as the team's coach after Reed had angered Madison Square Garden president Sonny Werblin.[47][48] The team did not fare any better under Holzman's direction, finishing with a 31–51 record, their worst in thirteen years.[46]
After improving to a 39–43 record in the 1979–80 season, the Knicks posted a 50–32 record in the 1980–81 season.[23] In the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls swept New York in two games.[23] Holzman retired the following season as one of the winningest coaches in NBA history. The team's record that year was a dismal 33–49.[23] However, Holzman's legacy would continue through the players he influenced. One of the Knicks' bench players and defensive specialists during the 1970s was Phil Jackson. Jackson went on to coach the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to 11 NBA championships, surpassing Red Auerbach for the most in NBA history. Jackson cited Holzman as a significant influence on his career in the NBA.[49]
Hubie Brown replaced Holzman as head coach and in his first season, the team went 44–38 and made it to the second round of the playoffs, where they were swept by the eventual champion Philadelphia 76ers.[50] The next season, the team, aided by new acquisition Bernard King, improved to 47–35 and returned to the playoffs.[23] The team defeated the Detroit Pistons in the first round with an overtime win in the fifth and deciding game, before losing in the second round in seven games to the Celtics.[23] The team's struggles continued into the 1984–85 season, as they lost their last 12 games to finish with a 24–58 record.[23] The first of these losses occurred on March 23, 1985, where King injured his knee and spent the next 24 months in rehabilitation.[23]
1985–2000: The Patrick Ewing era
Patrick Ewing played for the Knicks from 1985 to 2000, leading them to the Finals in 1994 and 1999
In the summer of 1985, the Knicks were entered into the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery.[51] The Knicks ended up winning the number one pick in that year's NBA draft. They used the pick to select star center Patrick Ewing of Georgetown University.[51] In Ewing's first season with the Knicks, he led all rookies in scoring (20 points per game) and rebounds (9 rebounds per game), and he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.[52] The team would not fare as well, though, as they struggled to a 23–59 record in his first season.[29]
During Ewing's second season, the team started with a 4–12 record and head coach Hubie Brown was dismissed in favor of assistant Bob Hill.[53] Under Hill, the Knicks had brief successes but went on to lose seventeen of their twenty-one final games of the season to finish 20–46 under Hill and 24–58 on the season.[54][55] Hill was dismissed at season's end.[56]
The team immediately turned around in the 1987–88 season with the hiring of Rick Pitino as head coach, who, only months prior to his hiring, led Providence College to the Final Four, turning around a program that had struggled prior to his arrival.[56] Combined with the selection of point guard Mark Jackson, who won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and garnered MVP consideration, in the draft and with Ewing's consistently s