Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis looked pretty banged up after taking an elbow to the face during Game 2 of his team’s playoff series vs. the Orlando Magic, but his spirit has never looked better.
Porzingis fell to the floor late in the third quarter after a nasty shot to the head from Magic center Goga Bitadze, but quickly rallied, stood up, and moved to the locker room. Despite the blood dripping from his forehead, the big man was all smiles as he exited the court, very clearly wearing his new wound as a badge of honor.
But Bitadze was hit with a flagrant, so Porzingis had to return to the court for his two free throws. And in what would prove to be a temporary solution, team docs then covered the Celtic's injury with a positively massive bandage, adding a bit of hilarity to his bloody appearance.
As he walked back onto the hardwood, the center was clearly chuckling to himself at the absurdity of it all, and even took a minute to revel in the cheers coming from the stands. He'd go on to make one of his free throws but miss the other.
Watch that below:
"He lost his horn!" The Unicorn, Kristaps Porzingis, is back with a bandage after taking the elbow to the head pic.twitter.com/nB1NOrO3EP
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) April 24, 2025
Wednesday's incident was somehow the second time this month Porzingis started bleeding during a game. Indeed, in early April, the center took a hit from Phoenix Suns swingman Cody Martin and had to exit that game with yet another bloody injury.
For Porzingis' sake, let's hope Game 3 is a bit less violent. Who knows how much more this man can take!
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as A Bloody, Bandaged Kristaps Porzingis Was All Smiles While Returning for Foul Shots.
