The NBA trade deadline passed this week, and one of the headline deals before the buzzer was the Atlanta Hawks sending veteran center Kristaps Porzingis to the Golden State Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Porzingis has been an interesting player throughout his career. The Latvian was drafted out of pro basketball in Spain with high hopes to revive the New York Knicks, but he has journeyed to now five different teams since the Big Apple.
He became a key contributor with the Boston Celtics in their 2024 NBA championship run, but health problems have kept him off the court for much of the last two seasons.
This is where some ignorant NBA fans have started to make their keep.
Porzingis was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Yet seeming lack of research has led some people on social media to spread the rumor that Porzingis is living with HIV.
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Doesnt porzingis have AIDS????
— Loafer connoisseur (@Al_Laflare) February 5, 2026
As with most ignorance, it’s difficult to find the head of the snake in terms of where false stories start to spread.
Porzingis has never been reported as having HIV or AIDS in any credible circle of NBA journalism. Shams Charania and ESPN reported about the center’s POTS again when he started missing games for the Hawks in December.
Porzingis was diagnosed with the autonomic condition, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), last season in Boston. He and doctors found solutions over the summer to manage his health and he entered the Hawks season in good condition — before recent bout of illness. https://t.co/Uk5Fc7Hz2S
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 14, 2025
The tone of some fan posts regarding Porzingis shows just how far we have to go as a society in stigmatizing HIV and AIDS.
The queen herself, Blanche Devereaux from “The Golden Girls,” explained this eloquently back in the day:
Stigma is tied to HIV in both the gay and Black demographics. 67% of new HIV infections in the United States in 2022 affected men who were intimate with other men, and 37% of new HIV infections in 2022 affected Black/African American people.
It’s hard to disrupt stupidity once it gets going; it’s like a runaway train. It’s on those who are educated to continue to fight against the pot shots and random jokes. Don’t repost them and try to correct those who are spreading falsehoods.
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