Kristaps Porzingis Was Booed So Viciously In His Return To MSG, He Almost Walked Into The Knicks Locker Room At Halftime

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

There was a point during Kristaps Porzingis’s first trip back to Madison Square Garden after jetting for Dallas that I considered creating a GoFundMe account for soft-hearted fans to contribute to the Latvian’s post-traumatic stress therapy sessions.

Porzingis, who finished with 20 points on 7-17 shooting and adding 11 rebounds, wasn’t able to secure a win against the team who selected him fourth overall in the 2015 draft, as the Knicks secured a 106-103 victory.

The entire Madison Square Garden viciously booed the man they once dubbed ‘PorzinGod’ when he was introduced and every single time he touched the ball.  Marcus Morris, who hit a step back three with 13 seconds to play to effectively win the game, told reporters after the win that he’s never heard anything like that: “It was another level. It looked like he was rattled too.”

The boos can be heard more poignantly from this video taken in the crowd:

https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1195148354105356294?s=20

Those boos have a certain nastiness in their pitch. A nastiness only a franchise that perpetually disappoints its fans can produce.

Knicks fans got a bit more creative when they transitioned to deafening ‘asshole’ chants.

Introducing: ‘KP SUCKS!’

The bullying was so extensive, Porzingis nearly said ‘fuck it’ and decided to re-join the Knicks during halftime.

https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1195168410281209857?s=20

After the loss, Porzingis recognized how loud the boos were and responded to whether or not he believed fans’ reactions to be fair.

Through 10 games, Porzingis is averaging 18.5 points and 8.2 rebounds on 40.2% shooting. His Mavericks are 6-5 and currently sit at eighth in the Western Conference.