Kristaps Porzingis and Learning Atlanta

(Image via Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)

By: Lucas Kochevar

Entering his eleventh season, Kristaps Porzingis is moving to his fifth city as a member of the Hawks. He’s seen many different cultures around America since he was drafted in 2015. The bright lights and boos of New York. One of the biggest cities in the Lone Star state. The Wizards. The deep history of Boston and the Celtics. Now, he embarks on the dirty south in Atlanta. 

“So far everything is super good and super happy. Just arriving here it was like 7 or 8 p.m. and the sun was shining. It was a nice sunset and I caught a good vibe here from the beginning,” Porzingis said about Atlanta when he landed shortly after the trade. 

“It’s been exciting. A new beginning and new chapter. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Latvian big man brings flair on the court with deep three-pointers and shot-blocking, but off the court he’ll have a ways to go to fit in with Atlanta and the culture. It was very noticeable in Porzingis’ tour around Atlanta with his former teammate and Atlanta native Jayeln Brown. Before heading over to Brown’s alma mater, Wheeler high school, Brown decided to take Porzingis to an Atlanta staple, American Deli.

As the two walked in, Porzingis joked about American Deli’s location in a strip mall next to a Jiu Jitsu studio.

“I could live here, like somewhere close. Come to the deli, got the martial arts spot next to it,” he joked.

Little did he know he would end up living in the very same city. Brown ordered 10 lemon pepper hot wings for his teammate. Porzingis wanted to make sure that he had the best experience and asked if he should dip the wings in sauce or not. Brown and other customers’ were surprised by his choice of sauce.

“He’s dipping a hot wing in honey mustard,” Brown said with a grin on his face.

“You don’t even have any ranch or bleu cheese?” Brown’s friend asked.

“This is not a good combo though,” Porzingis made sure to clarify.

In a different video with the Hawks social team, Porzingis revealed many other thoughts on Atlanta staples. He noted that he’s never been to a Waffle House. His favorite item from Chick-Fil-A is the spicy sandwich. He struggled to name the wing flavor “Hot Honey” but eventually noted it was his favorite flavor. His favorite rapper is Future. Lastly, he’s heard bad things about Atlanta traffic, but he’ll have to find out for himself how bad it can get on I-285 and I-85.

Although he has a lot to learn in Atlanta, Porzingis can bring a lot from his past experiences, namely Boston. Porzingis ended his tenure in Boston on bumpy terms with an undisclosed illness in the playoffs that saw him struggle to make it up and down the court. Although Celtics fans were upset with Porzingis, many fans recognize the impact he had on the 2024 Celtics that won the title. The sharpshooting big man also acknowledges the impact Boston had on his career.

“It was a different environment than what I’ve been in,” Porzingis noted on his transition to Celtics and the championship mentality that comes with it, “Definitely a lot you can learn, just being around a winning culture. It helps any player that goes through there. I want to bring that here. I’ve seen how professional and locked in those guys were to the goal and that was winning the championship and so was I.”

That championship experience is something the Hawks are thrilled to have on their young team. Porzingis is the oldest player on the team, at this point in time. He is also the only player on the team with NBA Finals experience. With all of this experience and a young, hungry team, Porzingis hopes to be the guy that can unlock the championship potential for the Hawks.

“I like the situation we’re in now. This team has kind of been almost there, but can’t really get over the hump to make a deep run,” Porzingis said with a smile. “I think this is a year we can be sneaky good and surprise people and get further than expected. Who knows where we can go? I don’t want to put any ceiling. That’s exciting to me. Bringing some freshness to the team with me coming in can really give us a nice boost.”