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Kristaps Porzingis Steps Away From Basketball to Prioritise His Health
Kristaps Porzingis is stepping away from basketball to prioritise his health, the Golden State Warriors centre announced on Friday, bringing a sudden halt to a season that never got started. The 31-year-old Latvian said his body "didn't respond the way I anticipated" as he ramped up for the new campaign. The decision leaves the Warriors without the 7-foot-2 centre they acquired in February.
Key Points
- Kristaps Porzingis announced on Friday, November 6, 2026, that he is stepping away from basketball to prioritise his health, having not played a game this season.
- He said his body did not respond as he anticipated, and he is not where he wants to be to perform at his level.
- The Warriors said on October 21 he would be away for "the immediate future" with an undisclosed health issue. He revealed in 2025 he has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
- ESPN reported on November 4 that Golden State is withholding his $20 million salary for failing to render services.
- He did not say he is retiring, leaving a possible return open. The Warriors are 6-3 on a six-game winning streak.
What Happened
Porzingis shared the news himself in a statement posted on social media on Friday. "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," he wrote. "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."
The wording was careful and personal: reassurance first, he said he is doing well, then honesty. He knows the standard he sets for himself and does not believe he can meet it right now. He has not played a game this season.
Background: A Career Interrupted by Illness
In 2025 Porzingis revealed he had been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, a disorder of the nervous system that affects heart rate and blood flow. People with POTS can experience a rapid heartbeat, dizziness and fatigue on standing, and it is hard to manage for an elite athlete.
Drafted fourth overall by the New York Knicks in 2015, Porzingis later played for Dallas and Washington before helping the Boston Celtics win the 2024 NBA championship. He was traded to Atlanta in 2025, then to Golden State in February, and in June signed a two-year, $40 million extension. He has not played at all, and the extension now sits at the centre of a standoff between player and team.
Kristaps Porzingis Steps Away: The Health Battle Behind the Decision
Friday's announcement comes down to a simple admission: Porzingis tried to get ready for the season and his body would not cooperate. POTS is not an injury with a clear recovery date. It is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, which controls heart rate and blood flow without conscious thought. When it misfires, exercise can bring exhaustion and dizziness, a major obstacle for a basketball player.
Porzingis has never hidden the condition since revealing it in 2025, and his statement fits that pattern: direct and focused on health, not basketball. Two days earlier, ESPN reported the Warriors are withholding his $20 million salary. His statement did not address it at all.
Reactions: A Statement That Spoke for Itself
Porzingis's own words are, for now, the fullest account. "I'm doing good," he wrote, words meant to calm the worry a sudden health announcement will cause. He followed it with the harder truth: "I know what it takes, and I'm not where I want to be to perform at the level that I expect from myself."
The Warriors' position before Friday was the brief October 21 statement: he would not be with the team for "the immediate future" because of an undisclosed health issue. What it has done, according to ESPN's November 4 report, is stop paying his $20 million salary while he is not rendering services, a move that shows how a health problem can become a contractual dispute.
Why It Matters
For the Warriors, the announcement removes short-term uncertainty and replaces it with a longer-term question. The team is winning without him, 6-3 on a six-game winning streak, which shows the roster can cope. But a 7-foot-2 centre with his shooting range and defensive presence is not easily replaced, and his absence will be felt more as the season goes on.
For Porzingis, the decision is about more than basketball: POTS affects daily life, not just sport. He is also one of the highest-profile athletes to speak openly about it, and his announcement will raise awareness of an illness many people have never heard of. The business side will not go away. His salary still counts against the cap and luxury tax, and his contract could be traded before the February deadline.
What Happens Next
In the short term, nothing changes on the court: the Warriors will keep playing without Porzingis. The test will come later, when the schedule toughens. Golden State must decide whether the current group is enough, or whether a move is needed before the February trade deadline.
For Porzingis, the next steps are private. He has given no timetable, and none should be expected soon: progress with POTS is measured in weeks and months, not days. The salary question is the most immediate unresolved issue. The Warriors move on without a player they expected to lean on, and Porzingis steps away from the game he loves to look after his health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Kristaps Porzingis stepping away from basketball?
He is stepping away to prioritise his health. His body "didn't respond the way I anticipated" as he ramped up, and he is not at the level he expects from himself.
Is Kristaps Porzingis retiring?
No. He said he is stepping away at this point to focus on his health, which leaves a return possible. He gave no timetable.
What is POTS?
POTS is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a nervous-system disorder affecting heart rate and blood flow. It can cause a rapid heartbeat, dizziness and fatigue on standing.
Has Porzingis played for the Warriors this season?
No. He has not played a game this season. The Warriors said on October 21 he would be away for "the immediate future" with an undisclosed health issue.
What is happening with his $20 million salary?
ESPN reported on November 4 that the Warriors are withholding his $20 million salary for failing to render services. It still counts against the cap and luxury tax while the dispute is unresolved.
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