Image via Complex Original
1.
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.
2.He wants to take Rihanna on a double-date with Jay Z and Beyonce.
Yeah I’m talking Jay, yeah I’m talking Rih’, yeah I’m talking B, yeah I’m talking...Kristaps Porzingis?
When he was asked what three people he would like to go to dinner with most, Porzingis jokingly replied by saying “Rihanna, Beyonce and Jay Z—like a double date.” Luckily for Porzingis, Rihanna’s doing a show in New York later this month as part of her “Anti World Tour.” Just saying.
3.He owned a Carmelo Anthony jersey as a kid.
Today, Porzingis calls Anthony a teammate and a mentor. A number of years ago, he was just a fan like any other NBA-obsessed kid, and said he actually owned a Melo jersey growing up. Destiny? Maybe.
Some other players that Porzingis said were childhood favorites include Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett.
4.At least two Latvian rap songs have been written about him.
It seems as though Porzingis is as common to the Latvian scene as rhyming “party” with “Bacardi” is in the American game. The rap duo Transleiteris released “#PORZINGIS” in July, and the video has over 1 million hits on YouTube. Six months later, a group named Olas released a song called “Keep Calm Like Kristaps Porzingis.” These songs are no “Ice Ice Baby,” but they offer a spectacular glimpse into the Latvian cultural phenomenon that is Porzingis.
5.His jersey was one of the NBA’s best sellers.
Porzingis-mania has been quite lucrative for the NBA, as fans have flocked in the thousands to find Porzingis gear. His No. 6 Knicks jersey was the NBA’s fourth-best seller in 2015—topping former MVP’s Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant, and selling far more units than Carmelo Anthony.
6.He likes to eat melons.
“He’s a very good kid and I love him like he’s family. Every time I eat melon, I think about him. Boy, that kid liked melon,” Saturnina Gadea, his former assistant coach in Spain, told Hoopshype last month. “He wanted nothing but melon and Spanish omelette. I would bring melons for the players and he wanted all of them for himself.”
7.He's bumping Drake and Future.
Outside of Latvian rap phenoms like Transleiteris and Olas, Porzingis also listens to American rappers like Drake, Future, and Trey Songz. He also said he visits WorldStarHipHop every day, so he's well-versed in the rap game.
8.He dissed 50 Cent after throwing out the first pitch at a Mets game.
Porzingis took the diamond for the first time in his life on June 26, 2015 when the Mets hosted him and fellow Knicks first-rounder Jerian Grant. Prior to throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, Porzingis said “Hopefully I can throw that ball. Don’t want to throw it like 50 Cent,” in reference to the rapper’s infamous first pitch.
He also went after former Mets and current Pirates pitcher Jon Niese, saying he would take his spot in the rotation.
9.He’s the most popular person in Latvia.
According to one Latvian agent, that is.
"He’s the most popular person in Latvia at the moment,” Arturs Kalnitis, one of the most influential basketball agents in the country, told The New Yorker. “Everyone’s talking about this—housewives, people who have never been related to basketball.”
Not most popular basketball player. Not even the most popular athlete. Most popular person. In the entire country.
10.He wears Kobe X Elites, which he colored blue with a magic marker.
Porzingis did something to his Kobe X Elites that many sneakerheads would consider obscene.
Because he was evidently unable to get Kobes to match his Knicks uniform, he simply colored the swoosh of his Kobe X Elites in with a blue marker. He drew on shoes that cost $260. Guess it’s not a big deal when you’re 20 and making over $4 million this season.
11.He was planning on being Danny DeVito for Halloween.
Not sure how this one would work. Porzingis said this October on Twitter that he wanted to be It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Danny DeVito for Halloween. DeVito stands a full two feet and three inches shorter than the 7-foot-3 Porzingis. That costume may be tough to pull off.
12.He wears No. 6 in honor of his idol.
Porzingis wears No. 6 in honor of his 33-year-old brother, Janis Porzingis, who played 14 years of professional basketball for several teams in Latvia, Lithuania, Italy, and Hungary. He even played briefly on the Latvian national team. Janis used to take his then 12-year-old brother to train with his professional team in Italy.
13.He comes from a basketball-centered family
In addition to his aforementioned oldest brother, Porzingis has another older brother named Martins, who also played on the Latvian national team. His father played semi-professionally in the Soviet Union in his youth, and his mother played for several Latvian national youth national teams in addition to coaching basketball.
14.He had a basketball court at his house as a kid.
This is a family that really likes basketball. Kristaps’ father built the Porzingis brothers a court from scratch in their backyard. Talk about dedication.
15.He originally entered the draft in 2014, but withdrew to stay in Spain.
Porzingis was all set to be drafted in 2014, but withdrew just two weeks before the draft to continue developing his game in Spain. ESPN NBA Draft expert Chad Ford projected him to go somewhere between the 12th and 21st overall picks that year, so staying in Spain for one year was probably the right choice considering the Knicks took him fourth overall in last year’s draft.
16.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.
17.His favorite athletes include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Usain Bolt.
Porzingis doesn’t just like basketball. Much like the rest of the world, Porzingis is a big soccer fan. He called Messi “The best soccer player in the world,” and said that Ronaldo “has one of the greatest brands in soccer.” He’s also a fan of Bolt because “He’s just a dominant guy.”
18.He went to a bullfight once while he played in Spain.
Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose are not the only Bulls Kristaps Porzingis has dealt with. Porzingis told the New York Post in June that he went to a bullfight in Spain.
“It was actually pretty cool,” Porzingis said in the interview. “At first, it was a little scary, because one of the guys got thrown around by the bull, and I was like, ‘Whoa, it’s not gonna be good,’ you know? But then the real professionals came out, they handled the bull.”
When asked if he thought about becoming a matador, he jokingly said “Yeah, I have, I have. All the time.”
19.He was diagnosed with anemia in 2010.
Porzingis’ career hit a roadblock in 2010 when he was diagnosed with anemia, or a low red blood cell count. Red blood cells are used to circulate oxygen to the body, so he had to take a short break from basketball after the diagnosis. He overcame the disease, however, returning to the Spanish league in short time. Porzingis said he is fine now.
20.His favorite movie is “Friday.”
The 1995 classic is his favorite movie and its co-star, Chris Tucker, is his favorite actor. Other entertainers amongst Kristaps’ favorites include Just Go With It star Jennifer Aniston and Ride Along 2’sKevin Hart.
21.NBA League Pass subscriptions have tripled in Latvia this year.
This is presumably due to Porzingis’ emergence. A full season of NBA League Pass is $189, which is a steep price to watch a single player—let alone a rookie power forward on the third-worst team in the Eastern Conference.
22.He likes ping pong.
"My new interest is ping pong,” Porzingis said in an interview with Bleacher Report in July. “We have a table at the Knicks' practice facility, and after I finish my workout, Janis is already ready with the paddle. We play every day in New York. Sometimes it's funny because whenever we're playing a long time and he gets a tough point, he gets excited like crazy, and I hate that. I get so competitive and we trash talk. He only beat me one time, but I won't let him beat me anymore.”
23.His agent reportedly wouldn’t let him work out for the Sixers before the draft.
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported in January that the Porzingis camp “Wanted no part” of the Sixers. Porzingis’ agent would not arrange a private workout, physical or face-to-face meeting with the beleaguered Sixers. Philadelphia had the third overall pick in the draft, one pick ahead of the Knicks. They ultimately took Jahlil Okafor instead.
This was probably the right move for Porzingis. The Sixers have won just 45 games over the last three seasons—12 fewer than the Warriors have won this season. Even the lowly Knicks have outperformed the Sixers.
24.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.
25.He sometimes models when he’s not playing basketball.
Porzingis posed in a dapper burgundy suit for GQ ahead of the NBA Draft and posed in an $825 Armani sweater for DuJour Magazine in October. Porzingis solidifies himself as one of the NBA’s most stylish players both on and off the court with these photoshoots.
26.He always wanted to be a Knick.
“He would mention two-three NBA teams that were interested in him and one of them was the Knicks,” Berni Rodriguez, one of Porzingis’ assistant coaches in Spain, said in an interview with The New Yorker.
It’s not surprising that someone from outside the States would want to play for one of the world’s most recognizable franchises. The Knicks are the NBA’s most valuable team, and Porzingis is now reaping the benefits of starring in the bright lights.