Boston Celtics big man, in his recent interview with Fox News, clearly showed his frustration on the way the Turkish leadership is managing the crisis.
“The country currently is on partial lockdown and, obviously, everything is unpredictable at this point. There is no doubt that the Turkish leadership will use this pandemic to consolidate its power further and cast themselves as saviors.”
“Even during this outbreak, the government hasn’t relented in its crackdown. The overcrowded prisons are a perfect breeding ground for the coronavirus, but the government is willing to let criminals roam free and not the political prisoners. It is a clear illustration of their hate and ruthlessness.”
Kanter also talked about his daily routine during quarantine with the NBA season being suspended.
“It was probably the most boring time in my life; we weren’t allowed to see each other. The only person I was talking to from behind my door was the Uber Eats guy. We were always complaining about how busy our schedule was, and suddenly all of us had nothing but time. But it has taught me to really invest in myself.”
The Turkish player admits that his daily routine has changed dramatically since social distancing measures began:
“It has changed so much. I was training so much, doing charity work, traveling, and only coming home to just sleep. Now, I don’t set an alarm. I wake up when I wake up, and train when I want too. In my Boston apartment, it was impossible to work out, but I have some space here.”
“Our coaches still want us to work out, do lots of push-ups and crunches, and that sort of thing. Some [of the players] have houses, but some are in apartments, which makes it a bit harder. But our coaches are calling us on FaceTime two or three times a week to make sure we are doing our stuff.”
Kanter also admitted that the biggest challenge that the team is facing right now, is to stay united and maintain their chemistry:
“Maintaining the chemistry of our team, which is important to all of us. We have regular Zoom conferences with all the team, as obviously we can’t hang out and see each other, but it is crucial to keep up team chemistry. And, once a week, the Celtics bring on a different motivational speaker to talk about handling stress, which has been awesome.”
“We all want to go out and play basketball, but summer is coming, so we are all about sad about that and what will happen. At this stage, we have no idea what will happen to the rest of the season. But we know we need to stay home, and the NBA is putting our safety, the player safety, first. That is what is most important.”
