Kristaps Porzingis: Embracing the Privilege and Responsibility of Being a Boston Celtics Fan Favorite
Kristaps Porzingis has only been a member of the Boston Celtics for two seasons, but already the big man has built an enduring relationship with the fans at TD Garden. In that time, he’s authored a few unforgettable moments on the court, and his connection with the Celtics community runs deeper than basketball.
That connection was on display with Boston’s recent home win over the Phoenix Suns. Despite being up big in the fourth quarter, the Celtics were still defending the Suns with physicality and poise, an approach that saw Porzingis catch an elbow right to the nose. This bloody mess required the former All-Star to leave the game to get stitches. As he walked to the tunnel, Porzingis raised his hands in the air with a smile, blood still dripping down his face, and the crowd erupted.
The next afternoon, Porzingis was back in action, signing autographs and taking photos at Boston’s historic Quincy Market. There, Celtics Wire caught up with Porzingis to talk about his relationship with the city, with Celtics fans, and with his team.
“Honestly, all these moments I just go with the flow, I freestyle,” Porzingis said of his bloody exit from the game the night before. “With that moment, my teammates were messing with me because I love UFC, so me getting hit in the face, it was an inside joke almost. I was joking with my teammates first and the crowd reacted to it, and I embraced that energy, and it was a cool, fun moment.”
Porzingis has been a spark of energy for the Celtics since joining the team by way of trade last summer. He’s the Unicorn, after all, and has a special ability to spread the floor on one end and serve as the defensive anchor on the other.
But he is also an emotional spark plug. Porzingis smiles when he plays. He eggs on the crowd. He laughs even when times get tough.
His now-iconic return to action ahead of Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals is proof positive of this. Few other players could headline a WWE-style entrance, especially because it wasn’t a pre-planned thing. As Porzingis explained, he always takes the court a little late, so things unfolded organically.
“I wasn’t expecting it when I came out for the finals, but it was just a cool moment, getting shown on the screen and getting the crowd to react to it,” Porzingis said. “Those are the special moments I love at the Garden.”
“Coming out for that Game 1, not being able to play for a while and then coming out with pretty much no practice, I had had one scrimmage,” Porzingis explained. “But I had zero doubt, zero fear. I was just going out there and, knowing that I’m going to have those 20 minutes, doing everything I can to help the team win. It was an awesome moment in my career, for sure.”
Porzingis was the No. 4 pick back in 2015, and was pegged as the next big thing for the New York Knicks. Just three seasons later, though, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Down in Texas, Porzingis was supposed to serve as the co-star for rising phenom Luka Doncic. When that didn’t work, he was sent to the rebuilding Washington Wizards.
Now with the Celtics, Porzingis believes he can finally be himself on the court. He was put in high-pressure situations from the very beginning of his NBA career, but as he explained it, the 29-year-old had to learned how to manage that dynamic and responsibility.
“As my career has gone on, I’ve gotten better at connecting with the crowd. I even did it in Washington, but not too many people were watching it,” Porzingis said with a chuckle. “But already the fans were kind to me and the fans were pretty connected.”
“I’m always trying to (wave to fans), I’m always hype for the games myself and I feel like the fans also feel that, and when I have those like those kind of plays, it’s a great moment to to get that love from the fans and hype them up even more so,” he added.
“I did it in Washington a bit, and you know now here it’s to a different level. But I think it’s the joy that I play with helps me connect with the fans,” Porzingis said.
Porzingis seems to have that interplay down to a science.
Cementing connection with the Hub
It’s rainy, and it’s raw as Porzingis makes his way across the old brick walkways of Faneuil Hall and up the stairs to the rotunda at the top of Quincy Market. Fans have been buzzing with anticipation for over two hours as he meets the crowd’s collective energy with a big smile and wave.
Despite the stitches on his nose, he greets each fan with warmth. Porzingis gives out fist pumps and high-fives. He reminds people to take their belongings and laughs at the frenetic energy in the building. He grins ear to ear whenever a young child walks up wearing an oversized No. 8 Celtics jersey.
The event is being run by local sports apparel store “I Love Boston Sports”, and specifically the company’s founder, Mahlon Williams. Williams is a veteran of the Boston sports scene, and no stranger to events like this.
Williams told Celtics Wire why he thinks the connection between Porzingis and the city runs so deep.
“It’s rare to see a player embrace a city and fan base the way KP has,” Williams said. “Bostonians want to win, but they also want to be recognized for their passion, and KP returns that energy to the fans by breaking the fourth wall during games to directly connect with the fan base.”
“He wants to impact the community off the court, too. Calling him a ‘man of the people’ is an understatement,” Williams added.
That “man of the people” responsibility might be most tangible walking the historic roads of Boston, or beneath the 18 championship banners that hang from the rafters at TD Garden. But Celtics Nations is a global phenomenon.
“I feel like it’s so worldwide. You see somebody in the Philippines with a Derek White jersey, and you’re not even surprised, you know?” Porzingis said. “People all over the world love the Celtics. Obviously, other teams have big followings, but I feel like the Celtics are so, so worldwide. People that love basketball, they know the Celtics, and there’s many, many fans around the world.”
Porzingis wasn’t brought to Boston just to sign autographs or cosplay as a professional wrestler. His job is to win basketball games, and with respect to the fans, his ultimate responsibility is that of a teammate.
Injuries have seen Porzingis miss extended time this season. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a key cog in Boston’s basketball machine. He explained that he tries to situate himself as a helpful teammate and companion, but that sometimes the Celtics operate on unspoken trust and resolve.
“It’s cool to be a part of a locker room like this where we have a very experienced team,” Porzingis outlined. “There are a lot of times (that) there’s not much to say, honestly. We have so much experience and are a level-headed team. We understand each other just from looking at each other, we don’t have to say a word. It’s not a young team where you have to be like, ‘oh, you should have done this here,’ constantly, or you have to remind or teach somebody. We just have this type of a team.”
Beyond the 3-pointers and the lobs, or the emphatic blocks at the rim, Porzingis knows he has certain skills and strengths that compliment that locker room dynamic.
“What I try to bring to the team is the same as I do on the court, is bring that joy,” Porzingis said. “I try to bring it in the locker room also. Sometimes when guys are maybe in a bit of a rut during the season, I try to talk to guys and I try to get them out of some slumps if I see that I can help.”
At the time of this writing, Porzingis and the Celtics are poised for another deep playoff run. The defending champions appear to have hit their stride at the right time.
Porzingis opened the season on the injury list as he worked his way back from offseason foot surgery. He has also missed time with a lingering illness. Still, he’s having one of his best campaigns in the NBA. This includes shooting 40.4% from deep, his highest market ever.
Individual accolades aren’t the concern, though. Porzingis knows this. He told Celtics Wire that playing for Boston is unrivaled for that reason, and part of why he’s so thrilled to play or the Celtics.
“For sure it’s one of the most iconic and historic places to play in. The court, the history, the culture here,” Porzingis said. “And the passion that people have for sports in general, but especially for basketball, it’s unmatched. There’s no better stage to play than here.”
“When I got here at first, I felt the responsibility of wearing that jersey right away, and I’m happy we won last year. It was a big pressure on us to take it all the way, to win it. And we did it.”
“This year again we have another challenge,” Porzingis added. “We want to go back-to-back, and that’s what comes with wearing that jersey and meeting those expectations here.”
