Enes Kanter has been a fan favorite at every stop of his NBA career. During his introductory press conference with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, the veteran big man made a pointed effort to endear himself to his new team's fanbase, taking an implicit shot at the departed player many believe was the biggest source of the Celtics' struggles last season.
Kanter will be wearing No. 11 with Boston in 2019-20. The last player to wear that number in green and gold? Kyrie Irving, of course, a reality of which he reminded Celtics fans with a not-so-thinly veiled swipe at the Brooklyn Nets point guard.
“It was my old jersey number, No. 11,” Kanter said, per Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe. “And I want to be the reason why no one else wears it. [pauses]. I had to say it.”
Kanter agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Celtics on July 1. He spent last season with the Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks, signing with the Blazers in February after being released by the Knicks as they began prioritizing the development of young players.
Planned as a backup to starting center Jusuf Nurkic, Kanter ultimately ended up starting 22 games for Portland last season, including 14 of the team’s 16 playoffs games, after Nurkic suffered a devastating broken leg in late March. He averaged 11.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game for the Blazers in the postseason, shooting 51.4 percent from the field.
Boston, after losing both Irving and Al Horford in free agency, signed Kemba Walker to a four-year, max-level contract, ensuring it would remain highly competitive in the Eastern Conference.
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