Latvia isn't known for its basketball prowess, yet the Eastern European nation is set to make its debut in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in less than two weeks. However, they'll have to do it without their best player Kristaps Porzingis, the newest star of the Boston Celtics.

The 7-foot-3 center is reportedly taking time to recover from a foot injury and will miss the entire tournament, per BasketNews. Although this was previously reported, the Latvian Association claimed that Porzingis' health status was an ongoing situation and that he couldn't be fully ruled out.

Now it seems as if Porzingis will be shut down for the global basketball competition, yet it's not exactly clear why. While his foot injury could be a problem, the 2018 All-Star has posted videos of himself playing where he looks just fine.

Social media posts don't always tell the full story, however, initial reports insinuated that the Celtics themselves were involved in shutting down Porzingis. So, there's a fair chance that Porzingis' foot issue could just be used to keep him out of playing to ensure he's healthy when the 2023-24 NBA season kicks off.

The Latvian big does have a troubling injury history and the Celtics have a lot riding on this year. With tons of money tied up in contracts for Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, and others, they'll need to win now to make the most of their championship window.

Furthermore, just last summer, former Celtic Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL while playing in the FIBA World Cup, giving the C's plenty of reason to be cautious of Porzingis' participation.

Whether or not this injury ruling is legitimate or not remains to be seen, but either way it looks like Porzingis will be resting and getting ready to compete for a title in Boston.