Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Kristaps Porziņģis

Discover the career path of Kristaps Porziņģis, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Kristaps Porziņģis is a Latvian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. Standing at 7 ft 2 in, he plays both power forward and center positions. He's nicknamed "the Unicorn" due to his unique skillset, which combines the traditional size and rebounding of a center with the perimeter shooting and playmaking ability usually associated with guards and forwards. This combination makes him a versatile and challenging player to defend.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

2000: Consecutive 30-point, five-block games

On 4 March, Kristaps Porziņģis had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks in a 127–123 overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, becoming the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to have consecutive 30-point, five-block games.

2009: Mavericks Clinch Southwest Division

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.

2010: Tryout with Baloncesto Sevilla

In the summer of 2010, Kristaps Porziņģis had a tryout with Baloncesto Sevilla after the team scouted foreign talent for its junior squads and signed a contract with them. At the time, he was 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighed 157 lb (71 kg).

January 2012: Youth Squad Debut

On January 4, 2012, Kristaps Porziņģis debuted for the Sevilla youth squad against Barcelona, contributing 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 56-75 loss. The game was part of the Ciutat de L'Hospitalet tournament.

September 2012: First Team Appearance for Sevilla

On September 29, 2012, Kristaps Porziņģis made his first appearance with Sevilla's first team in the ACB season, playing for only one minute in a game against CB Murcia.

2012: Training for International Competition

In 2012, Jānis Porziņģis helped his younger brother Kristaps train in the summer and work out in the gym in preparation for international competition.

2012: Professional Career Began with Sevilla

In 2012, Kristaps Porziņģis began his professional basketball career with Sevilla.

January 2013: EuroCup Debut

On January 16, 2013, Kristaps Porziņģis played four minutes against Spartak Saint Petersburg in the EuroCup, contributing one rebound and one assist.

November 2013: Strong Game Against Laboral Kutxa

On November 2, 2013, Kristaps Porziņģis had a strong game against EuroLeague team Laboral Kutxa, scoring 12 points, grabbing six rebounds, and blocking four shots in an ACB victory.

2013: Became Figurehead of Sevilla Senior Team

By 2013, Kristaps Porziņģis had risen through the ranks to become the key player for Sevilla's senior team.

2013: FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship All-Tournament Team Selection

In 2013, Porziņģis played with the Latvian youth team and was selected in the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship All-Tournament Team.

2013: Second Year with Sevilla Junior Team

In early January 2013, Kristaps Porziņģis represented the Sevilla junior team at the Ciutat de L'Hospitalet tournament for a second year. He averaged 16.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks, shooting .481 on three-pointers.

April 2014: Career-High 20 Points vs Real Madrid

On April 6, 2014, Kristaps Porziņģis scored a career-high 20 points against Real Madrid, making two three-pointers. He started trending on social media because of his performance.

October 2014: Season Debut in Liga ACB

On October 4, 2014, Kristaps Porziņģis made his season debut in the Liga ACB against CB 1939 Canarias, scoring three points.

2014: Declared for 2014 NBA Draft

In April 2014, Kristaps Porziņģis declared himself eligible for the 2014 NBA draft, drawing interest from teams like the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

February 2015: Season-High 19 Points Against Turów Zgorzelec

On February 11, 2015, Kristaps Porziņģis scored a season-high 19 points against Turów Zgorzelec in the EuroCup.

April 2015: Entered 2015 NBA Draft

On April 16, 2015, Kristaps Porziņģis officially entered the 2015 NBA draft, after gaining another season of experience. He was considered a lottery pick and a potential top-five selection.

June 2015: Drafted by the New York Knicks

On June 25, 2015, Kristaps Porziņģis was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He became the highest drafted Latvian and Baltic player in NBA history.

July 2015: Signed Rookie Contract with the Knicks

On July 30, 2015, Kristaps Porziņģis signed his rookie-scale contract with the New York Knicks.

2015: NBA Draft

Alexander Zhigulin entered the 2015 NBA draft and withdrew.

2015: Withdrawal from NBA Draft

Kristaps Porziņģis withdrew his name shortly before the 2014 NBA draft, with his agent indicating he felt unprepared and wanted to develop his skills until the 2015 draft.

2015: First Offseason Since Entering the League

The 2021 offseason was the first offseason that Porziņģis was not recovering from injury since entering the league in 2015.

February 2016: Rising Stars Challenge

On February 12, 2016, Kristaps Porziņģis scored 30 points for Team World in the Rising Stars Challenge.

October 2016: Shoe Deal with Adidas

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.

November 2016: Career-High Scoring Performance

In November 2016, Kristaps Porziņģis achieved a then career-high of 35 points in a 105–102 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

January 2017: Return from Injury and All-Star Weekend

In January 2017, Kristaps Porziņģis returned from a four-game absence due to a sore left Achilles tendon, scoring 15 points in a loss to the Washington Wizards. Also in 2017, during the All-Star Weekend, he participated in the Rising Stars Challenge and won the Skills Challenge.

October 2017: Season Opener and Career-High Scoring

In October 2017, Kristaps Porziņģis scored 31 points and had 12 rebounds in the Knicks' season opener loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Later in October 2017, he achieved a then career-high of 38 points in a victory against the Denver Nuggets.

2017: EuroBasket 2017 Performance

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). Latvia was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Slovenia, losing 97–103. Against Slovenia, Porziņģis scored a tournament-high 34 points despite playing in foul trouble throughout the game.

January 2018: High Shot Attempts for the Knicks

In January 2018, Porziņģis averaged 19 shot attempts per game for the Knicks, one of the most ever by a player his size.

January 2018: Named Eastern Conference All-Star Reserve

On 23 January 2018, Kristaps Porziņģis was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve following a strong performance through the midpoint of the season.

October 2018: Knicks Decision on Rookie Extension

In October 2018, the Knicks chose not to sign Kristaps Porziņģis to a rookie extension, creating additional cap space for the summer of 2019 and making Porziņģis a restricted free agent.

2018: All-Star Selection

In 2018, Kristaps Porziņģis was selected as an All-Star while playing for the New York Knicks.

2018: ACL Injury Recovery

Kristaps Porziņģis sat out for the rest 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.

January 2019: Trade to Dallas Mavericks

On 31 January 2019, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Trey Burke, Courtney Lee, and Tim Hardaway Jr., in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., a 2021 first-round draft pick, and a 2023 first-round draft pick.

October 2019: Mavericks Debut

On 23 October 2019, Kristaps Porziņģis debuted for the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 23 points and grabbing four rebounds in a victory over the Washington Wizards.

2019: Trade to Dallas Mavericks

In 2019, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks due to disagreements with the Knicks' front office.

2019: Future Cap Space

In October 2018, the Knicks decided against signing Porziņģis to a rookie extension, a move that gave New York an extra $10 million in cap space in the summer of 2019 while making Porziņģis a restricted free agent in the offseason.

January 2020: Season-High Scoring Performance

On 31 January 2020, Kristaps Porziņģis achieved a then season-high 35 points, along with 12 rebounds, in a loss to the Houston Rockets. This was followed by a 38-point, 12-rebound performance in a victory over the Indiana Pacers.

January 2021: Season Debut After Surgery

On 13 January 2021, Kristaps Porziņģis made his season debut against the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 16 points with a 21-minute restriction, following surgery.

October 2021: Season Opener Loss to Hawks

On 21 October 2021, Kristaps Porziņģis recorded 11 points, five rebounds, and two blocks during the season-opening 113–87 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

2021: New Head Coach

Following the 2021 playoffs, Jason Kidd was hired as the Mavericks' new head coach, marking Porziņģis' sixth head coach in seven NBA seasons.

2021: First Round Draft Pick

On 31 January 2019, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and the Knicks received an unprotected 2021 first-round draft pick.

January 2022: Season-High Six Blocks

During a 104–91 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on 23 January 2022, Kristaps Porziņģis recorded a season-high six blocks.

February 2022: Trade to Washington Wizards

On 10 February 2022, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Washington Wizards along with a protected 2022 second-round pick in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Dāvis Bertāns.

August 2022: Return to National Team

In August 2022, Kristaps Porziņģis returned to play for the national team in the August window of the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers, after a five-year absence. He averaged 25.5 points per game, 14.0 rebounds per game, and 3.0 blocks per game in two games.

November 2022: Double-Double Performance

On 12 November 2022, Kristaps Porziņģis recorded a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 121–112 victory over the Utah Jazz.

2022: Trade to Washington Wizards

In 2022, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Washington Wizards after struggles with injuries and inconsistent performance in Dallas.

January 2023: NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

On 2 January 2023, Kristaps Porziņģis was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 11 (26 December – 1 January), his third career NBA Player of the Week award and first with the Wizards.

June 2023: Trade to Boston Celtics

On 23 June 2023, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Boston Celtics as part of a three-team deal.

October 2023: Celtics Debut

On 25 October 2023, Kristaps Porziņģis debuted for the Boston Celtics, scoring 30 points in a victory against the New York Knicks, setting a record for the most points scored in a Celtics debut. He was also named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week during the penultimate week of the regular season.

2023: Trade to Boston Celtics

In 2023, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Boston Celtics as part of the Wizards' rebuilding efforts.

2023: FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers

In August 2022, Kristaps Porziņģis returned to play for the national team in the August window of the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers. In a 111–85 victory over Turkey, Porziņģis scored 22 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked six shots in just 22 minutes of playing. In Latvia's 87–80 victory over Great Britain, he had 14 rebounds and scored 29 points on 75% shooting.

2023: First Round Draft Pick

On 31 January 2019, Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and the Knicks received an additional top-ten protected 2023 first round draft pick.

June 2024: Surgery to Repair Retinaculum Injury

On 27 June 2024, Porziņģis underwent surgery to repair his retinaculum injury with a recovery timetable being set at five to six months, ruling Porziņģis out for the beginning of the 2024–25 NBA season.

November 2024: Season Debut against the Los Angeles Clippers

On November 2024, Kristaps Porziņģis debuted against the Los Angeles Clippers, recording 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in a 126–94 victory.

2024: NBA Championship with the Celtics

In 2024, Kristaps Porziņģis won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics.

2024: First Round Draft Pick

On 23 June 2023, the Boston Celtics also received a top-four-protected 2024 first-round pick from the Grizzlies.

June 2025: Three-Team Trade Agreement

On June 24, 2025, ESPN's Shams Charania reported a three-team trade involving the Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets. The trade would send Porziņģis and a second-round pick to the Hawks. Georges Niang and a second-round pick would go to the Celtics, and Terance Mann and the 22nd pick in the 2025 NBA draft (used to select Drake Powell) would go to the Nets.