Joe Mazzulla on Kristaps Porzingis stepping away from the NBA

In the wake of the news of former Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis electing to step away from the game in light of the lingering health issues the Latvian big man has dealt with since his tenure with the Celtics, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed he reached out to his former center. "I talked to him on the plane," said Mazzulla via CLNS Media. "I reached out to him I think (I) had a good conversation with him.""Also, some other guys on the staff did as well," he added. "I think it's just a good reminder, as you know, we go through the NBA season and look at these guys as athletes and look at them as basketball players. They're a lot more than that, and so I think that is a good reminder of that. And their platform, their life, their careers are so much more than what happens on the court there, so It's a good reminder of that." "We're able to talk to him about it," added the Celtics coach. "But he's in a pretty good space and whatever we can do to help him, we will. We're grateful for the time that I got to spend with him, on and off the court." "A guy when he comes into the room he lights the room up, lights the locker room up," said Mazzulla. "I thought the years he was there he was like the icebreaker." "He brought a sense of joy to the rigors of the season and playing for the Celtics, and he brought a joy to that. I think he had a positive impact on the locker room.".oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}Listen to "What have we learned about the Celtics two weeks into the NBA season?" on Spreaker..oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKpiTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Joe Mazzulla on Kristaps Porzingis stepping away from the NBA