Boston Celtics: Enes Kanter’s Coronavirus jokes are childish and unnecessary
By Mark Nilon
Sunday, Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter took to social media and made light of the Coronavirus pandemic. While the Turkish born baller’s intentions were presumably good and pure, with nine-years of professional experience under his belt, Kanter should have known better.
Despite the fact that the NBA’s season has been suspended “until further notice” due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the league’s players have managed to stay present/ in the limelight via their social media platforms. Members of the Boston Celtics and every other franchise have given updates on their whereabouts, their state of health and, in some cases, aid in which they’ve bestowed to those in need during this global crisis.
So far during this pandemic, we’ve seen three confirmed cases of NBA players testing positive for the Coronavirus: the first being Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, followed by his All-Star teammate Donovan Mitchell and, as of this weekend, Detroit Piston’s big Christian Wood.
Many of these reports were first broken to the public via Twitter, with a caption starting off with “Breaking:” followed by the news the message is covering. During this critical time, when the word “breaking” or “breaking news” is seen many people are struck with a sense of anxiety and fear, as they are worried about what is to follow these eye-catching phrases.
With this in mind, making a joke consisting of this phrasing might seem a bit unnecessary and, in some instances, disrespectful, no?
Welp, Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter clearly didn’t see things this way, and decided to make light of a heavy situation this past weekend by releasing a “breaking news” statement on his twitter account:
We here at the Houdini are all for jokes. We don’t mean to be “party poopers” by any means. However, during a time in which new information is seemingly coming out everyday, using this specific messaging format is uncalled for and quite careless on Kanter’s part.
Since coming into the league back in 2011, the Turkish born-big has made a name for himself as being somewhat of a jokester. However, during a time in which so much is still unanswered and is being questioned, making jokes — specifically by someone in such a polarizing and public position — about such a disturbing and even fatal situation should be refrained from.
I’m sure his heart was in the right place, as perhaps he was trying to state that he and his Boston Celtics teammates are still acting as one, and have remained close during this troubling time, but the phrasing in which he opted to convey this sentiment was quite careless.
To vilify the man for this act would be wrong, and that is certainly not what we’re trying to do. However, after nine years of professional experience and being in the enormous spotlight that comes with being an NBA player — especially for one who’s played for some of the league’s most popular franchises — Kanter should have known better than to release a joke in such a manner.
Not all of his Celtics teammates have made light of the virus, however, as guys like Jayson Tatum, Semi Ojeleye and Jaylen Brown have taken to their social media accounts to remind their thousands of followers and their fanbases to take this situation seriously, listen to the medical professionals and to ultimately stay safe.
During such an anxiety-inducing time, perhaps this route is the safer and more impactful one to take.