NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley offered some words of wisdom for Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis, who has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons as of late.
Aside from being accused of sexually assaulting a neighbor back when he was playing for the New York Knicks, Porzingis was recently caught on video in his home country of Latvia with a bloody face and ripped shirt after an apparent altercation in a bar.
Barkley said that it's a bad look for Porzingis to be involved in such issues. He then pointed out that the Mavs forward should learn to control himself and ignore other people who are trying to tarnish their reputation as NBA players.
“Porzingis got to understand if somebody says something to you…you can beat them up or they can hit you in the head with something, put an eye out or kill you. What good does that do? Walk away. That's the only thing I'd tell him, man,” Barkley said in an appearance on ESPN Dallas KESN FM.
“I don't know what happened and I don't care what happened. But you're Porzingis. You're one of the best young players in the NBA. They are getting ready to give you $300 to $400 million the next 10 years of your life just to dribble a stupid basketball. All you got to do is go out there and play. And you got some idiot in a night club, who ain't got nothing to lose.”
Porzingis hasn't played in the NBA since early 2018, as he's recovering from a torn ACL. He's been traded by the Knicks to the Mavs back in February after he got frustrated with his situation with his former team.
There's optimism around the league that Porzingis will be able to rejuvenate his career with the Mavs, especially since he will be playing with rookie sensation Luka Doncic. But off-court controversies has been tailing him since being shipped to Dallas.
When healthy, there is no doubt that Porzingis is one of the best players in the league. However, he will need to deal with his personal matters wisely. Being unable to control his emotions will definitely hurt his image as a player and as a person.
Barkley is right. If Porzingis wants to start over, he should learn how to walk away from petty issues like the incident in Latvia. Then and only then will fans see the return of one of the most exciting players in recent memory.
Follow Us
Subscribe