Kristaps Porziņģis, Latvian basketball player
Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvian pronunciation: [ˈkris.taps ˈpuɔr.ziɲ.ɟis]; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) tall, and plays both the power forward and center positions.
Born in Liepāja, Porziņģis began his professional career with EuroLeague team Sevilla in 2012. Porziņģis quickly rose through the team's youth ranks and became the figurehead of the senior team by 2013. He subsequently won the EuroCup Basketball Rising Star award in 2015, where, at age 18, he became the youngest ever recipient of the award. The following summer, he declared for the NBA draft, where he was selected fourth overall by the New York Knicks.
In New York, Porziņģis shone as the team's star; after disagreements with the front office, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2019. He remained as a star player in Dallas but was plagued by injuries during his tenure, and he was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2022.