Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis made his return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday as a member of the Mavs, and New York Knicks fans let him have it all night.
Porzingis was loudly booed by the Knicks crowd in the player introductions and every time he touched the ball. Chants of “KP sucks,” “Go back to Latvia” and “Traitor” were also screamed as well.
Porzingis admitted after the game that the boos were in fact “pretty loud.”
“Whew, that was pretty loud,” Porzingis said after the game, via Malika Andrews of ESPN. “Their fans are really — really passionate.
“I don't know if it was fair or not. I don't really think about that too much. It is what it is, and we came here to win a game. We're frustrated that we didn't get it done.”
The Mavs lost to the Knicks for the second time this season. Porzingis finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc.
With the loss, the Mavs dropped to 6-5 on the season. KP was able to get through the night without any harm and now he can move on from his Knicks past and focus on the season.