Kristaps Porzingis breaks silence after latest Warriors health update

After two weeks of increasingly widespread speculation and confusion about his overall condition — health, whereabouts, beyond — Kristaps Porzingis took to social media to try to calm the waters.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Warriors released a statement that Porzingis would “remain out indefinitely” due to the same health issue that kept him out of Golden State’s training camp and five preseason games. Minutes later, Porzingis posted a thread on X to offer some context while maintaining his privacy.

“Hello people, I’m working with doctors and experts to figure out how to get back to good health as soon as possible,” Porzingis said. “Honestly, I just have to stay patient and I think I will feel good again soon.

“It’s definitely been frustrating dealing with some health issues that you can’t exactly pinpoint, plus injuries throughout my career, so it’s added up for sure, but we’ll get through this.”

Porzingis then refuted a theory widely popularized on social media.

“I appreciate all the internet doctors trying to diagnose and help, but I’m in the best hands,” Porzingis wrote. “So everyone can relax now…and I don’t have HIV or AIDS.” »

On Tuesday, Porzingis was at Chase Center for the first time since Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy announced Sept. 28 that he would be out indefinitely due to health concerns. Porzingis met with Dunleavy and Golden State vice president of player health Rick Celebrini.

Two weeks prior, faced with repeated questions about Porzingis’ health, availability and whereabouts, head coach Steve Kerr seemed unable to offer much more than outright confusion on the part of the organization. Before the Oct. 6 game against the Lakers, Kerr responded, “I think so” when asked if Porzingis was in the Bay Area. Two days later, Kerr bluntly stated that the organization had no idea of ​​Porzingis’ specific health issues.

Porzingis’ statement Wednesday was clearly intended to emphasize that he was making efforts to understand what was tormenting him. A source with knowledge of the situation told the Chronicle that Porzingis recently traveled to Los Angeles to seek specialized medical advice.

The Warriors said in a statement Wednesday that Porzingis “will be a presence with the team” but offered no update on his status or timetable for his return.

In late June, Golden State re-signed Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million contract with a player option for the second year, after trading Jonathan Kuminga for center midway through the 2025-26 season. Porzingis – thanks to the threat of his outside shooting – presents himself as an ideal fit as the Warriors turn to offensive possessions that start with five players around the perimeter. But the Warriors have an advantage on Porzingis’ deal: It’s guaranteed $20 million for this season, but he’ll only be owed $3 million for 2027-28 if it’s broken before July 7, according to Spotrac.

After suffering various injuries throughout his NBA career, Porzingis began suffering from a lingering illness during the 2024-25 playoffs. In 2025, he told The Athletic that he was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that can cause chronic fatigue and other exercise-related symptoms.

It’s unclear whether Porzingis’ current health issues stem from POTS or something else. In February, Kerr told 95.7 The Game that Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh told him Porzingis did not have POTS, then publicly retracted his comments.

When Dunleavy initially announced Porzingis’ absence in late September, the general manager did not rule Porzingis out for the start of the season. In recent weeks, Golden State has changed its message: hope for Porzingis’ return, but try not to count on his availability. Kerr said Monday that he’s “leaning toward” a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos and Draymond Green, implying that the Warriors don’t expect Porzingis to be available in Wednesday’s opener against the Lakers.

“All of that will be determined as we — once we get him back here and have discussions and find out where he is, all that stuff,” Kerr said Monday, asking if Porzingis’ presence at the facility meant he would return to play.