New York Knicks center Enes Kanter continued his feud with Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, taking a shot at the “King” on Twitter.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Enes Kanter since he became a member of the New York Knicks, it’s that he’s fearless. He won’t back down to anyone—including LeBron James, the best player in the world.
Saturday, shortly after James and the Cavaliers were blown out by Kanter’s former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, by a score of 148-124, Kanter posted the following tweet:
148 ⚡️?#StriveForGreatness?
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 20, 2018
Between the crown emoji and the “#StriveForGreatness” hashtag, which has long been one of James’ mottos, there was no question who Kanter was targeting with that tweet.
He addressed the issue Sunday before the Knicks took on the Los Angeles Lakers, noting that one of his former Thunder teammates texted him a warning about continuing to take shots at James.
“One texted me just to say — I’m not going to say who — but he texted me, ‘You’re about to get 50 dropped on you, boy.'” Kanter told ESPN’s Nick Friedell. “I responded something back, but I’m not going to say what it is.”
While Kanter and James have been going at it all season, on-and-off the court, the Turkish big man insists that he has a lot of respect for the four-time NBA MVP.
“He got mad at me, obviously. I mess with him a lot, but obviously, he’s the best player in the league,” Kanter said, per Friedell. “I respect the guy a lot. But I think right now they are struggling or whatever. I don’t even think he’s even thinking about what I tweet. I think he’s worried about his team. I don’t even think he’s thinking about what I’m going to tweet or not. Because I think they are struggling right now and the only thing he’s thinking about … just getting his team [on track].”
Back in November, Kanter and James got into it after LeBron and rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina had words during a game at Madison Square Garden. After that game, the two continued to trade barbs with one another.
As for whether the off-court banter proves to be a distraction on the court, Kanter doesn’t think that’s the case.
“On the court, you got to be serious,” Kanter said. “Whenever we step on the court, I forget about everything. That or this or all the outside talking … but outside the court, we got to have fun. This is all about having fun. Just putting a smile on people’s face. I think I’m doing it.”
