When Kristaps Porzingis plays for the Boston Celtics, the look on his face most nights makes it clear how he feels about playing in the NBA. So it’s no surprise that the Latvian big man had a lot of kind words for his former employers last Thursday night (February 19), despite them trading away Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum last offseason to get the team on a more reasonable financial track after he suffered an Achilles tendon injury.
Before leading his new team, the Golden State Warriors, against Boston, Porzingis shared thoughts on his time with the Celtics. “It’s going to be like championship expectations, obviously, it’s not going to be a walk in the park,” Porzingis said.
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“So as soon as I signed, I felt the responsibility,” he added. “Even me and Al (Horford, now playing with KP with the Warriors), we talked about it.”
February 19, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porziņgis (7) takes the ball away from Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory photo credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
“Just being on that stage and playing for such a historic team, you feel the pressure,” the Warriors center said. “You could feel the expectation, especially with the great performance from the team. We knew we had to get it done.”
“Otherwise, it would have been a tough loss. And, like every player strives to be in that position. We had our chance, and we did it once. The second year it didn’t work out perfectly. But, yeah, we spent time there and enjoyed every moment – we achieved great goals. You know how much I love playing there, and the organization, the front office, everything about playing at TD Garden, the floor, the colors.”
“This is an iconic team…it will always be in my memory as a special moment,” the former Boston big man said.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Kristaps Porzingis reflects on time with Celtics
