Enes Kanter Says Joining LeBron James, Lakers 'Would Be Very Weird'
Enes Kanter recently had the opportunity to explore his market and decide where he would play following a release from the New York Knicks, but the thought of teaming up with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers is something he couldn't wrap his head around.
"It would be very weird," Kanter said on Wednesday about the idea of playing alongside James, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "... It would be very weird."
Kanter ultimately signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.
James and Kanter, of course, have a history.
Back in November 2017, James called out the Knicks for drafting Frank Ntilikina over Dennis Smith Jr. in the 2017 NBA draft. Kanter wound up responding on social media, saying: "Nope!! We love what we got...Thanks!!!"
That back-and-forth set the stage for a heated matchup one day later. Ntilikina and James exchanged shoves during game, leading Kanter to step in. He would later explain on ESPN's The Jump what was going through his mind during the on-court exchange (starting at the 2:37 mark):
The bad blood then spilled over into the postgame interviews.
Kanter made headlines by calling out "King" James for his nickname.
"I don't care who you are. King—what do you call yourself?—King, queen, princess, whatever you are," Kanter said, per Bondy. "You know what? We're going to fight. And nobody out there going to punk us."
James responded by calling Kanter "corny" while noting his wife is the queen of the James family and his daughter is the princess:
Interestingly enough, though, Kanter tried to recruit James to the Big Apple last year.
James instead chose the Lakers. Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles was among the teams in the mix for Kanter's services after the veteran was waived earlier this month.
Kanter, who is averaging 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this season, would have provided the Lakers with valuable depth down low. Los Angeles will instead have to rely on JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler to hold down the 5-spot.
His relationship with James may or may not have played a role in his decision, but Kanter told Bondy that he "miss[es] the playoffs." Advantage Portland. The Trail Blazers (34-23) entered the All-Star break in fourth place in the Western Conference, while the Lakers (28-29) are currently on the outside looking in back in 10th place.
