Kristaps Porzingis sidelined indefinitely with health issue

Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis will be out indefinitely with what Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy called a “health issue.”

Dunleavey, who made the announcement about Porzingis’s status, did not say what the health issue is.

The Warriors are holding training camp in Hawaii, and Porzingis is not expected to join them on the trip. That means, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, that Porzingis will miss at least four practices and the preseason opener.

Dunleavey did not rule Porzingis out for being ready in time for the season opener. He isn’t ready for training camp, though, which began this week.

“We feel comfortable with everything [about Porzingis’ status],” Dunleavy said, per ESPN. “Disappointed that he won’t be out there [when training camp starts Tuesday], but it’s early, so don’t want to overreact to anything.”

Porzingis played in just 32 games last season split between the Warriors and Hawks after the Celtics traded him during the offseason. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks during his time with the Warriors last year.

He started 11 of the 15 games he played and the bulk of his appearances were at the end of the season.

Porzingis had been participating in workouts with the team leading up to training camp before his health issue came up.

The 7-foot-2-inch, 240-pound center was also sidelined by a mysterious illness during his time with the Celtics. He missed 40 out of 82 possible regular-season games and appeared to be affected by the illness during Boston’s playoff loss to the Knicks.

He was listed on the Celtics injury report with a non-COVID illness for a lengthy period of time.

According to a report from The Athletic, Porzingis said he was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). He said the disease affected his breathing and hit him “like a truck.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said during a radio interview last year that Porzingis did not have POTS. He later apologized for his comments.

The Warriors have not said whether this health issue is connected to the illness. They signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract extension during the offseason. Golden State had “internal optimism,” according to ESPN, about Porzingis’s status this summer before this setback

The Warriors open the preseason against the Clippers in Honolulu. They’ll host the Celtics at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Nov. 22.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.