Enes Kanter divulges reason behind taking Kyrie Irving’s old jersey number
"After I came here, this jersey number was a guy who shall not be named."
The Boston Celtics held their media day for the upcoming season on Monday, and new signing Enes Kanter talked with reporters about his decision to wear Kyrie Iriving’s old jersey number 11. “First of all, it was my old jersey number of course, when I was in Oklahoma City. And after I came here, this jersey number was a guy who shall not be named,” Kanter said. “But it was just fun, because I gotta bring some positive energy, not just to the team but to the whole city, the whole state. So for me, it was just fun because I saw a lot of people were taping and writing their name and stuff.”Kanter is referring to Irving when referencing “a guy who shall not be named,” but Kanter wanted to make it clear that despite the jabs, he still holds a lot of respect for the ex-Celtics point guard. “In the end, I respect the guy [Irving] a lot as a basketball player,” Kanter said. “Obviously he’s one of the best point guards in the league.” Kanter, who has spent much of his offseason adorning himself to the city of Boston, continued his streak of kindness during media day, dishing out free cookies and brownies prior to the start of his press conference.
Enes Kanter breaking the ice with the media by bringing them cookies 😂 #CelticsMediaDay pic.twitter.com/8ycyQZi10t
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) September 30, 2019
Kanter also dove into one of the reasons he chose the Celtics, saying that he picked the team because, “they never tank” when asked about his experience with his previous team, the New York Knicks.
Kanter is coming off a season that saw him average 13.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in addition to playing in the Western Conference Finals with the Portland Trailblazers.
The Celtics kick off their preseason on Sunday, October 6, at TD Garden against the Charlotte Hornets.
