Kristaps Porzingis is 20 years old, has spent less than a year in the United States, and is already one of basketball’s most recognizable faces.
The Knicks rookie has taken the NBA by storm, averaging 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 64 games this year, almost single-handedly restoring hope to a fan base that has not experienced a championship since Michael Jordan was in fourth grade.
Since Porzingis spent most of his life in Latvia and out of the American eye, there are probably a lot of things you don’t know about him. What shoes does he wear? What jerseys did he own as a kid? What was he for Halloween this year? To fill you in on those subjects and more, here are 25 Things You Didn’t Know About Kristaps Porzingis.
1. He wants to take Rihanna on a double-date with Jay Z and Beyonce.
2. He owned a Carmelo Anthony jersey as a kid.
3. At least two Latvian rap songs have been written about him.
4. His jersey was one of the NBA’s best sellers.
5. He likes to eat melons.
6. He's bumping Drake and Future.
7. He dissed 50 Cent after throwing out the first pitch at a Mets game.
8. He’s the most popular person in Latvia.
9. He wears Kobe X Elites, which he colored blue with a magic marker.
10. He was planning on being Danny DeVito for Halloween.
11. He wears No. 6 in honor of his idol.
12. He comes from a basketball-centered family
13. He had a basketball court at his house as a kid.
14. He originally entered the draft in 2014, but withdrew to stay in Spain.
15. The Thunder reportedly promised Porzingis in 2014 that they would draft him.
Oklahoma City had the 21st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, so they likely would have had to trade up to get him. One can only imagine the damage a Kevin Durant-Serge Ibaka-Porzingis frontcourt could have done in the Western Conference. It could have been the best frontcourt since Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
16. His favorite athletes include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Usain Bolt.
17. He went to a bullfight once while he played in Spain.
18. He was diagnosed with anemia in 2010.
19. His favorite movie is “Friday.”
20. NBA League Pass subscriptions have tripled in Latvia this year.
21. He likes ping pong.
22. His agent reportedly wouldn’t let him work out for the Sixers before the draft.
23. He wears a size 16 shoe.
Maybe he couldn’t find the right color shoes because most stores don’t carry his size. Porzingis wears a size 16. Thankfully his Nike endorsement takes care of his footwear needs now. Otherwise he would likely be relegated to bigshoes.com as his shoe-shopping destination.