No Boston Celtics player will compete in World Cup play.
Per recent reporting from Basket News, star Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will sit out the 2023 FIBA World Cup due to injury. He had been preparing with the Latvian National Team.
While that might have Boston fans nervous given how a similar situation played out with veteran forward Danilo Gallinari last summer, Porzingis revealed the ailment keeping the Latvian big man on the bench is plantar fasciitis. It is a troublesome but not (usually) especially serious of a problem
In his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Porzingis confirmed his decision.
“After several weeks of recovery and a repeat MRI examinations, the plantar fasciitis of my foot still prevents me from being on the field in full readiness,” the new Boston big man said (translated by Google Translate).
It may be the dog days of August in the NBA’s 2023 offseason, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty of Boston Celtics-related things to talk about. https://t.co/9D3kRmYsql
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 15, 2023
“This joint decision has been made by both the medical staff and coaching staff of the national team, as well as the Celtics team — with the advice and opinion that it is necessary to continue the recovery process.”
For Boston fans, the news is a mixed bag. While plantar fasciitis is not usually a serious threat to an NBA player’s career, it can cause a player to miss significant time to recover as well. It’s a far cry from Gallinari’s torn ACL, but not exactly great news either.
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