Bertāns: Porziņģis to miss national team duty over club concerns, several players opt out

Latvia's men's national basketball team officially begins preparations on Monday for its upcoming World Cup qualification matches against Croatia and Israel, scheduled for late August. Dairis Bertāns, the national teams' sports director and a former team captain, told LSM.lv that Latvia's position in the qualification standings is currently difficult, meaning wins in the upcoming games are urgently needed.

Porziņģis unavailable

One of the biggest challenges facing the team is the absence of star player Kristaps Porziņģis. According to Bertāns, Porziņģis will not be able to join the squad because of his NBA club's concerns — the club is reportedly very worried about his participation in national team games, which means he will sit out the upcoming qualifiers.

Other players withdraw as well

Beyond Porziņģis, several other potentially key players will also be missing from the squad. Unlike Porziņģis, these players reportedly made their own decision not to join the national team camp this time. The source does not name these players specifically, but Bertāns noted that their absence makes preparations more complicated, since the team will be without several players who could otherwise play leading roles.

Despite the roster changes, the national team will begin its official training camp on Monday as it prepares for two important matches that could significantly affect Latvia's chances of continuing its pursuit of a place at the World Cup.