Kristaps Porziņģis puts basketball career on hold to prioritise health

Kristaps Porziņģis has announced that he is putting his basketball career on hold to focus on his health, leaving his future with the Golden State Warriors unresolved. The 31-year-old centre disclosed the decision on Friday in a social media statement, according to reporting by Yahoo Sports and the Associated Press.

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Porziņģis said his body had not reacted as he expected while increasing his preparation for the season. Although he described himself as doing well, he said he was not ready to meet his own performance standards. He did not identify the health problem behind the decision or say when he might play again.

The announcement follows an extended absence from Golden State. The Associated Press reported that the Warriors ruled him out indefinitely in late September and said he would miss their training camp in Hawaii. On October 14, the team said he would spend time around staff and teammates after meeting general manager Mike Dunleavy and player-health executive Dr Rick Celebrini the previous day.

That arrangement subsequently changed. A week later, Golden State said Porziņģis was not expected to be around the team in the immediate future, according to the AP. Friday's statement offered no return timetable, but Porziņģis expressed a wish to cooperate with the Warriors on a resolution rather than spelling out what would happen to his contract.

Yahoo Sports reported that Golden State acquired Porziņģis at February's trade deadline before agreeing to a two-year, $40 million extension in June. His earlier health history includes publicly discussed struggles with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. However, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that he has not publicly confirmed whether his current difficulties are connected to that condition. The reason for this latest absence remains undisclosed.

The distinction between a break and retirement remains important. The Chronicle, citing people familiar with his thinking, reported that Friday's message was not a retirement announcement. Yahoo Sports noted that the Latvian has played for six teams during an 11-year NBA career, earned All-Star recognition in 2018 and won the 2024 championship with Boston. His announcement leaves the next stage of that career uncertain.