Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porziņģis, who has not been with the team as he addresses long-term health concerns, announced he will step away from basketball.
“This season I was really looking forward to running it with this group, but as I ramped up, my body didn’t respond the way I anticipated,” Porziņģis wrote Friday, Nov. 6 in a statement posted to social media.
Advertisement
“I’m doing good, but I know what it takes, and I’m not where I want to be to perform at the level that I expect from myself. At this point, I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love.”
It’s worth noting that Porziņģis didn’t outright mention retirement in the statement, which could potentially leave a return to the sport down the road, should his health improve.
1 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
Signature shoes, rare colorways and player exclusives help NBA stars stand out this season. Take a look at some of the coolest sneakers being worn around the league.
A close up of the Li-Ning sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
1 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
Signature shoes, rare colorways and player exclusives help NBA stars stand out this season. Take a look at some of the coolest sneakers being worn around the league.
A close up of the Li-Ning sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
2 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A close up of the Nike sneakers worn by Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
3 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of of the shoes worn by Jaylen Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
4 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of shoes on guard Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
5 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of LeBron James’ of the Philadelphia 76ers shoes during the first quarter of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
6 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of the basketball shoes of Trae Young of the Washington Wizards against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at Capital One Arena on October 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
7 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
The shoes of Yang Hansen of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
(Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
8 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
The shoes of Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns are seen during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
(Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
9 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
The shoes of Ja Morant of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
(Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
10 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
Detail of the Skechers sneakers worn by Julius Randle of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on October 21, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
11 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of the shoes of Keaton Wagler of the Los Angeles Clippers before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on October 21, 2026 in Inglewood, California.
(Luke Hales, Getty Images)
12 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks shoes prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
13 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks shoes prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
14 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers shoes during the third quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2026 in New York City.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
15 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
Shoes worn by Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on October 20, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
16 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks shoes during the third quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2026 in New York City.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
17 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A close up of the sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
18 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A close up of the sneakers worn by Yaxel Lendeborg of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of their preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
19 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A close up of the sneakers worn by Ja Morant of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half of their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
20 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoes during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
21 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of the KD19 shoes worn by Quadir Copeland of the Houston Rockets during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
22 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of the shoes of Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on October 08, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
(Luke Hales, Getty Images)
23 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons shoes during a pre season game against the Phoenix Suns at Little Caesars Arena on October 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
24 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A view of the shoes worn by Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers during Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day at Rocket Arena on September 28, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio.
(Nick Cammett, Getty Images)
25 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
A detailed view of Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets shoes as he poses for a photo during the Houston Rockets Media Day at Hilton Americas-Houston on September 22, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
Porziņģis, 31, has been dealing with an undisclosed illness that has prevented him from joining the Warriors. He had missed all of training camp in late September and has been away from the team. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said last month that Porziņģis would be in the team facility for a check-in with Golden State’s sports medicine and performance team.
Previously, stretching back to Porziņģis’ final season with the Celtics in 2024-25, he had expressed frustrations over repeated absences that were caused from an undiagnosed condition that prevented him from having the energy and stamina to play.
Advertisement
Eventually, Porziņģis disclosed that he was dealing with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) autoimmune symptoms, though he has not offered specific updates in recent months.
A one-time All-Star, Porziņģis is known for stretching the floor with his shooting range, while providing a rim-protecting presence on the other end. Across his 10-year career, Porziņģis has averaged 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 533 appearances.
Advertisement
“In this situation, I want to show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense,” Porziņģis continued in his statement. “I’m thankful to my family and close ones for always being there. Much appreciation to all of you for the support. Onwards and upwards.”
Leave a Reply