Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis announces he's stepping away from basketball

Michael Nowels, The Mercury News on Nov 6, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t been with the Warriors so far this season amid health issues, and he won’t be returning to the court anytime soon.

In a statement posted to social media Friday afternoon, the Warriors center said, “I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love.”

It does not appear Porzingis intends to officially retire, though, as he continued, “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.”

Porzingis, who a year ago revealed a diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Warriors over the summer, but only $3 million of next season’s salary is guaranteed in the deal.

On the day before training camp, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. told reporters that Porzingis would not join the team to begin the season. During the preseason, the 33-year-old Latvian met with Warriors medical personnel in San Francisco while the team was in Los Angeles. The Warriors then announced Porzingis would “be around the team,” while remaining out indefinitely, then a week later they reversed course and noted that he was not with the team.

A source confirmed to this news organization earlier this week that the Warriors were not paying Porzingis’ salary this season, citing that he was not rendering his services.

The Warriors acquired Porzingis in a trade that sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta at the deadline in February, and the 7-foot-3 Porzingis played in just 15 games for them the rest of the season as he worked through injuries and a health-related absence.

“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,” Porzingis wrote in his statement posted Friday.

“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.”

Porzingis has played 10 years in the NBA after the New York Knicks selected him fourth overall in the 2015 draft. He broke out as a star for the Knicks early in his career before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He later played for the Washington Wizards and was a key player for the Boston Celtics’ 2024 Finals champion team before being sent to Atlanta in July 2025.

He has averaged 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in his career, and last season averaged 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Warriors after arriving from Atlanta.

The Warriors have used a combination of Draymond Green, Al Horford, Charles Bassey and rookie Graham Ike at center without Porzingis in the fold early this season.