Porzingis's trainer: decision to end career was no surprise
Zanis Peiners, personal coach of Latvian NBA star Kristaps Porzingis, says the player's decision to quit basketball did not surprise him. He also defended Porzingis against what he sees as a misleading public image.
Latvian basketball player Kristaps Porzingis, who has played in the North American professional league NBA, recently announced he is leaving basketball to focus on his health. His personal coach, former basketball player Zanis Peiners, has now commented on the decision, according to the website "sportacentrs.com".
Peiners said the move was not a surprise to him, as the situation had been heading toward such an outcome for some time.
On the public perception
The coach expressed regret over what he considers a misleading impression many people have formed of the player. Peiners believes Porzingis may not like dealing with problems and tends to step aside in such situations. As a result, in the coach's view, problems often turn into rumours. He said Porzingis often comments on them too late and is aware of it himself, but that this is simply his natural reaction.
Peiners stressed that this does not make Porzingis a bad person, adding that he does not even know what bad could be said about the player.
Playing for the Latvian national team
The coach also addressed the fact that Porzingis often did not play for the Latvian national team. According to him, fans did not always have all the information about the player's health. Peiners revealed that the basketball player had undergone several hand operations that were not discussed publicly.
