Porzingis to miss Paris Olympics – Boston Celtics

OUT OF REACH Kristaps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat during the second quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Miami, Florida. PHOTO BY MEGAN BRIGGS/AFP

LOS ANGELES, California — Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis will miss next month's Olympics after opting to have surgery on a leg injury, the NBA team announced on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

The Latvian power forward suffered a "rare" leg injury in Game 2 of the NBA Finals earlier this month and will go under the knife to repair the problem.

"The injury doesn't allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition. Surgery will be performed in the coming days, and further updates will be provided when available," the Celtics said.

Porzingis suffered a 38-day layoff after injuring his right calf in April before coming off the bench to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals for the Celtics.

He played in Game 2 but suffered a "torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg."

That injury ruled him out of Games 3 and 4, although he returned from the bench to play 16 minutes in Game 5 as the Celtics wrapped up a 4-1 series victory.

Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges is being traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks, where he will join Jalen Brunson and his other former Villanova teammates, two people with knowledge of the details said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

The first trade between the New York rivals since 1983 will put Bridges in the lineup alongside Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, players who helped the Wildcats win two NCAA championships and were the core of a Knicks lineup that reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.