In this interview, host Speaker A greets NBA star Kristaps Porzingis, who is appearing on a talk show for the first time. Porzingis shares his personal background, noting he grew up in Latvia until age 15 before moving to Spain for five years and entering the NBA draft at 19. He is now 22 and the face of the New York Knicks. He describes his basketball‑centric family—both brothers played professionally, his mother is 6'1" and his father 6'4"—and his own height of 7'3". The conversation touches on his close relationship with his brothers, their early shared living situation during his rookie season, and their current separate apartments in the same building. Porzingis mentions holiday plans with his parents visiting for Christmas. The host highlights fan expectations, referencing the Knicks' arena and the pressure of being the team's marquee player after Carmelo Anthony's departure. A focal point is Kevin Durant’s nickname for Porzingis, "the Unicorn," which initially confused him but he later understood as a compliment to his unique skill set. The host also comments on Porzingis’s oversized sneakers and the Knicks City Dancers halftime show, expressing admiration and wishing him success for the season.
Chapters
Porzingis! They love you. Come on. We love you, too. Uh, I've never— I've never seen you on a talk show before, so this is exciting for me.
This is my first time.
It is? Yeah. You've never been on a talk show, yeah? Oh, fantastic. I'm happy you're here. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. Yo, please. Uh, tell— tell everyone a little bit about you if they don't know. You— you grew up in— in Latvia, right?
That's— that's right. Grew up in Latvia, um, until I was 15. Then I moved to Spain. I lived in Spain for 5 years. Got drafted when I was 19, and now I'm here.
Wow. And how old are you now?
22.
22 years old. And how did you start playing basketball? Was it your family or—
Yeah, my whole family played basketball. My older brother was a professional basketball player. My middle brother also played. And mom and— my mom is 6'1". Dad is 6'4". You know, I'm 7'3".
Your mom played basketball too?
Yeah.
How old are you? You're 7— sorry, how tall are you, 7'3"? Holy moly. So when did you start just kicking your brother's butt? I mean, when— what time did you keep growing and they stopped growing?
Since, like, week. They made it pretty tough on me, uh, but—
I met one of the brothers back there, so you're still tight with your family, huh?
Yes, very, very tight. Very tight.
Do you live in the same apartment? Is that true or no?
Not anymore. My first— my rookie season, yes.
You did?
Oh, yeah? I did. It was too much. We were all in the same place. So now we're in the same building, but we have different apartments.
Still the same building though. That's still good.
Well, we want to stay close, you know? But at least we have our space now.
Yeah. Do you— are you psyched for the holidays? Because then you get together with the whole family.
Yeah, my mom and dad is coming for Christmas, so it's going to be fun. We're going to be all back together.
They got to be proud of you. Oh my goodness. I mean, this is 22 years old. You're the face of the New York Knicks. I mean, this is it. I mean, Melo left. He's gone on to it, which is great for him. But now it's all you. People come to the Garden and they want to see you.
Oh, yeah. I mean, it's—
Sorry, sorry to remind you. Sorry, I don't want to put the pressure on you. But you're great to watch. You're so— it's amazing to watch you. So much fun. And Kevin Durant gave you a nickname, the Unicorn. I love it. Do you love it?
At first, I was a little confused. It's like, what is this, a horse with a ponytail? Like, what does it mean? But then, you know, they kind of explained it to me. What he tried to say is that I was a unique player. And, you know, so it was nice to hear him say, you know, good things about me.
Well, on your sneaker, which is a— By the way, unbelievably big. I mean, good gosh, look at this sneaker. This is the size of my whole shoulders. This is— holy moly. And I love that you have something on the soles because this is probably what I would see if you dunked on me. That's a unicorn right there. I just think that's pretty rad right there. Uh, I love going to the Garden. I love seeing the games. I love watching you play. I try not to be distracting to anybody. And make a big deal. So if I'm there, I— if I see you there, I don't want to go, "Hey, Kristaps, what's up, man?" So I— but I do watch you, and you're just amazing to watch in person. So thank you for— and all the New Yorkers want to thank you for just being awesome and playing great. When you go to the locker room during halftime, the Knicks City Dancers come out. You never get to see them.
No.
But they're so good. They're so talented. But I don't know what to really do, 'cause I don't want to— I'm right— sometimes I'm right in the front. —and I just don't want to just stare at them. Right. You know, because I want to just— I just want to be normal, but— Well, I have a picture of me and my friend at the Knicks game that I just thought was pretty— it kind of encompasses what I'm doing while they're dancing. And they're amazing. But this is a photo of me and Lauren at the Knicks game. I've never— I've never seen that dance move, and I never will. I will. You know, and— but I will say that's what you're missing out on, man. So one time you got to come out for the halftime show. Yeah, and good luck with the rest of the season. We love you. Please come back. All right?
I will.
I will. Win that championship, buddy. Kristaps Porzingis!
