Kristaps Porziņģis

Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvian pronunciation: ; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Unicorn" for his ability to make plays and shoot three-pointers as a center, Porziņģis is listed at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) and plays as a power forward and center. Born in Liepāja, Porziņģis began his professional career with 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 19, Porziņģis became the youngest ever recipient of the award. The following summer, he declared for the NBA draft and was selected fourth overall by the New York Knicks. In New York, Porziņģis was seen as one of the Knicks' potential cornerstones, and he was selected as an All-Star in 2018. However, disagreements with the front office led Porziņģis to be traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2019. In Dallas, he was plagued by injuries and inconsistent play and was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2022. In Washington, Porziņģis bounced back, but was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2023 as part of the Wizards' front office's desire to rebuild. He won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2024 before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 2025.