Porzingis lives with family in New York to avoid drinking, trouble
The city of New York can be an unmerciful, bloodthirsty jungle for someone as young as 20-year-old Kristaps Porzingis, who has become one of the most beloved players on the New York Knicks during his first year in the league.
Rather than leave himself open to making poor errors in judgment, the 7-foot-3 Latvian has decided to remain close to those who have kept him grounded and disciplined since he was a child, living with his parents and brothers in White Plains.
"It's always good to have support around as young as I am and New York with a lot of attention," Porzingis said Friday, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. "My family's around to make sure I'm doing the right thing and staying out of trouble and focused on basketball. For me, it's great to have family around."
The "Porzing-God" also chooses to stay away from alcohol, which he can't legally drink for another year anyway, although the legal drinking age in his native Latvia is 18. Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers - who was taken one pick before Porzingis - was suspended two games by the team earlier in the month for getting involved in a physical altercation outside a Boston bar.
It was the rookie transition program the 2015 NBA Draft class took in Westchester back in August which helped set Porzingis up for success out of the gate.
"A lot of good information in the program," Porzingis said. "The rookie transition program won't save you from those situations, but it tells you how to react and (offers) a lot of good information for us to be careful and know what (could) be coming.
"They gave us information about guns, when you're going out, how you should react if somebody's trying to provoke you."
Porzingis' teammate Cleanthony Early was robbed and shot in his right knee Wednesday morning while leaving a strip club in Queens.
"It's sad that things like that happen," Porzingis said. "It shows how careful you have to be in those situations."