Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter provided a much-needed laugh amidst coronavirus concerns with a video of himself playing basketball in a hazmat suit.
Enes Kanter is one of those classic “love him or hate him” NBA personalities, but one thing’s for sure: We all needed a good laugh this week.
After Rudy Gobert tested positive for novel coronavirus on Wednesday and the league was forced to suspend its season for at least one month, there hasn’t been much for basketball fans to be happy about. March Madness was postponed the day after, along with every other major sports league and event for the foreseeable future.
In a period of self-quarantine, sports are often our escape from the harsher realities of the world, and now those distractions have been put on hiatus.
None of that is stopping Kanter from having a little fun, however, as he tried to make light of our current situation by posting a video of himself playing basketball outdoors in a hazmat suit with the caption, “Basketball Never Stops.”
With the volume on, you can hear the classic NBA on ESPN and ABC theme music while Kanter takes a 3 off the dribble in slow motion, with a full hazmat suit, mask and gloves on.
Is coronavirus a serious issue that’s affecting thousands of people all over the world? Absolutely. But as much as it’s a sensitive, important subject right now, it’s also important to not lose our sense of humanity and give in to paranoia and fear-mongering. A little humor, morbid as it may be, can keep us sane and alleviate some of the tension in times like this.
Kanter has a bit of a reputation of being a clown based on his time with the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks, but he’s taken a stance on some important social issues in the past, so he’s not some immature 27-year-old with no knowledge of the world.
The current Boston Celtics big man’s hyperbolic video made our Saturday a little brighter, and even if laughter isn’t the best medicine when you’re dealing with a pandemic like COVID-19, it doesn’t hurt to lighten the mood when we could all use some stress relief right about now.