For the first time in a very long time, there's hope again at Madison Square Garden.

As young stars R.J. Barrett, Julius Randle, and Jalen Brunson are leading the way on the world's biggest basketball stage, one name is conspicuously missing from Madison Square Garden during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Kristaps Porzingis was supposed to be the one to lead the once-storied Knicks back to the promised land. But, as we find out far too often in the NBA, things don't usually go according to plan.

On today's episode, the man they once called "The Unicorn" joins friend Ariel Helwani to look back on the highs and lows of his time in New York and also to look forward to what is still a very bright future for one of the game's most fascinating players. The guys discuss:

• The pressure Porzingis felt to be the face of a struggling franchise when the Knicks selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2015 (4:35 )


• Why he didn't quite fit in with the Dallas Mavericks (9:21 )


• His rocky relationship with Knicks fans (12:35 )


• Whether he'll re-sign with the Washington Wizards in the offseason (22:14 )


• Plans to play for Latvia in the FIBA World Cup this summer (26:00 )


• The potential of budding European superstar Victor Wembanyama (30:06 )

Plus, Ariel thanks Porzingis for helping him out in 2019 and KP also talks about Saturday's big UFC 288 event.

Kristaps Porzingis is a center for the Wizards. The fourth overall pick in 2015, Porzingis has also played for New York and Dallas. He is a 1x All-Star and is also a massive fan of mixed martial arts.

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