Fear not, 20-something still living with your parents; Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis does too. In the wake of two recent incidents, the New York Knicks will be happy to hear that their rookie lifeblood stays out of trouble by living with his parents and two brothers in White Plains, NY — away from the temptations and troubles of Bright Lights, Big City.
“It’s always good to have support around, as young as I am and New York with a lot of attention,’’ Porzingis said before the Knicks met the Bulls on Friday. “My family’s around to make sure I’m doing the right thing and staying out of trouble and focused on basketball. For me, it’s great to have family around.’’
Knicks forward Derrick Williams was robbed of over $750,000 worth of jewelry a few weeks ago, and just last week, forward Cleanthony Early was robbed and shot in the knee leaving a strip club in Queens. Both events drew a lecture from GM Steve Mills before the team traveled to Chicago over New Year’s Eve.
Adding to his safety net at home, the 20-year-old Porzingis does not drink, increasing the odds he’ll stay out of the papers for all the wrong reasons even if he decides to occasionally go out with teammates.
Porzingis attended the rookie orientation program in August before the season began and seems to have learned a lot from the lessons the league strives to impart to their young players.
“They gave us information about guns, when you’re going out, how you should react if somebody’s trying to provoke you,” he said.
He’s still young, of course, and he’ll probably eventually move to his own place in the city. But for now, Knicks fans should feel great the lure of nightlife hasn’t infected their raw rookie. When it comes to the embittered fans at the Garden, that might be the best news they’ve heard in years.
