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Enes Kanter Came To The Arena On Crutches But Still Played 18 Minutes

There aren’t many players who are as commited as Enes Kanter. The Turkish center is a player who has always put his team first and himself second. But in the New York Knicks’ game against the Atlanta Hawks last night, Kanter was in for a special story.

In Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, Kanter was kneed in the hip, which led to him limping badly after the game. The training staff gave him crutches to use due to discomfort in his hip and back. Then, this past night, Enes Kanter even came to Madison Square Garden on crutches. That didn’t stop him from playing though. He started for the Knicks and played 18 minutes in their win over Atlanta, before leaving the arena on crutches again.

After the game, Kanter said:

“If you want to make the playoffs, you need to make some sacrifices,”

His teammates also were surprised by Kanter’s effort and dedication. Jarrett Jack said he’d never seen something like that in 13 years in the league. Kristaps Porzingis said that Kanter was unbelievable, and Doug McDermott even told the story about he had to help him to his room, because Kanter wasn’t able to get there by himself:

“I gave him a ride home last night at about 3 a.m. when I got in and pulling the crutches out of my car and helping him to his room, (I was thinking) there’s no way this guy’s playing but he’s a warrior. He really cares about this team and the family and he’s going to give everything he’s got.”