Kristaps Porzingis has given fans more insight on the illness that had kept him out for a couple of weeks.
The Boston Celtics big man finally returned to the lineup during his team’s Saturday contest against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The former All-Star did not skip a beat, scoring a game-high 24 points in the 115-113 Celtics victory.
Porzingis had missed the Celtics’ last eight games due to a non-COVID illness that the Celtics’ medical staff had previously been unable to identify.
The Latvian opened up to reporters about the illness after Saturday’s game. He described the issue as an “upper respiratory illness” that turned into “something like bronchitis or mononucleosis.”
“I haven’t been this sick for probably ever in my life,” said Porzingis, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “So, I was really, for a week, really just laying at home trying to recover. And after that, I had lingering fatigue — and I still have it a little bit — but at least I’m not getting into shape to be able to play.
“But after each workout I was, boom, big crash. I was really, really fatigued. Like, not normal. So, yeah, it’s taking a little bit longer, but I’m doing everything, all my bio-hacking stuff that I know, and just trying to get back in the best shape possible.”
Porzingis called the entire situation “frustrating,” especially with fans questioning what kind of illness would keep a player out for such a long period of time. He added that he would never miss a game due to “some cough or something.”
Porzingis also missed the first month of the year while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. Through his 33 games played this season, the Celtics center has averaged 19.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 47.7% shooting and a career-high 39.4% clip from beyond the arc.
