Kristaps Porzingis started off his rookie campaign with a bang. He put down big dunks, made some strong blocks and his play really turned heads as he won the Rookie of the Month award for the first three months of the season alongside Minnesota Timberwolves star rookie Karl-Anthony Towns. Since then, KP has battled nagging injuries and his performance has dropped off slowly but surely.
Regardless of his recent downward trend, Porzingis should still end up being a star in this league and Kevin Durant has even praised the young forward as the NBA’s version of a ‘unicorn’. Such a mythological creature must have been hyped in his young days, right?
Well it appears that Porzingis actually wasn’t highly touted as an overseas prospect early in his international career and the only love he got from colleges came from the division two level and they contacted him via facebook.
Following from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
A lot of universities dropped the ball with Kristaps Porzingis.
In the midst of his first March Madness in the U.S., the Knicks rookie revealed the only offers he received were from Division II schools via – get this – Facebook messages.
“It was funny, I received like two or three offers,” Porzingis said. “It was a coach (reaching out to me), writing, ‘I want you play for us, we’re Division II.’”
Porzingis, who couldn’t recall which schools sent him offers on social media, had already signed a professional contract in Europe so his eligibility was squandered.
For what it’s worth, Carmelo Anthony believes Porzingis would’ve thrived if he accepted the Facebook offers.
“In D-II, he probably would’ve destroyed,” Anthony said.
