Steve Kerr’s Blunder Regarding Kristaps Porzingis’ Health

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr made an error during a radio interview on Friday when he referred to Kristaps Porzingis’ diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) as “misinformation.”

Before the Warriors faced off against the Lakers on Saturday, Golden State’s head coach admitted he made a “stupid mistake” while trying to explain POTS, a neurological condition that has reportedly posed challenges in the 7-foot-2 center’s career.

Kerr noted that Porzingis had missed three consecutive games due to a contagious illness that caused him to lose “a lot of fluid.” Consequently, he was marked as questionable and eventually ruled out for the matchup against the Lakers.

During the radio show on 95.7FM, Kerr claimed that not only was Porzingis’ absence unrelated to his prior diagnosis, but Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh informed him that Porzingis didn’t have POTS at all. Saleh, who once worked in the Warriors’ front office, is a “good friend” of Kerr’s. The Warriors had traded for Porzingis from Atlanta, giving up Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield in the process.

Kerr recounted his conversation with Saleh, saying, “I called him and said, ‘Is this POTS story true?’ He said it’s not actually POTS. That’s the misinformation that’s been out there.” He further explained that what Porzingis was dealing with while in Atlanta had nothing to do with his sickness last week—he was simply unwell.

However, on Saturday, Kerr took a step back from his earlier statements, describing Porzingis’ condition as “a medical issue that is far beyond my ability to explain.”

“It was a stupid mistake to talk about something I wasn’t qualified to talk about,” Kerr acknowledged. “So I regret trying to discuss the diagnosis. It was my mistake. I need to leave it to the experts.”

Since joining the Warriors, Porzingis has averaged only 17 minutes per game. Last season, he appeared in just 42 games with the Celtics, partly due to an illness that triggers a spike in his heart rate when standing.

Porzingis had revealed to The Athletic last year that he was diagnosed with POTS.

Kerr mentioned that he hadn’t talked specifics about the diagnosis with Porzingis and refrained from commenting on the forward’s availability for the upcoming game against the Clippers on Monday. Porzingis did return to practice on Friday, and Kerr noted that he is feeling better.

“We will continue to monitor him,” Kerr said.