Enes Kanter 'Shocked' Hearing Names of NBA Superstars Who Don't Want to Play

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter has heard from many of his fellow NBA players who want to resume the season, but it's not a unanimous feeling throughout the league. 

On his podcast this week (h/t NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg), Kanter said he's "shocked" to hear players don't want to play and shared a story he heard from someone on an unnamed Eastern Conference team:

"This is my ninth year in the league, I have so many friends on different teams, right? I was actually talking to one of my friends and he said—I’m not going to tell who or which team—but he said, ‘There's so many guys on our team, they're not going to play.' They’re actually in the Eastern Conference, they’re in a playoff spot, and they’re like superstars. Like, if I tell you who it is, you’d go crazy."

There have been reports of players being concerned about feeling pressure to participate in voluntary workouts when facilities first reopened in May. 

Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul took those concerns on behalf of players to commissioner Adam Silver, who said workouts were optional and "advised Paul to follow up with the league if it continues."

There appears to be growing momentum for the 2019-20 season to resume this summer.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported the NBA is planning a vote on Thursday, when it's expected the board of governors will approve Silver's recommendation for a restart in late July that could feature 22 teams. 

Kanter noted "a lot of the players" on the Celtics and throughout the league are looking forward to potentially playing again. 

Boston was the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 43-21 record when the season was suspended on March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.