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  6. article_body => "<p>Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter believes that most NBA players are eager for the season to restart this summer, but said he\u2019s been told by a former teammate that at least one All-Star-caliber player in the Eastern Conference is leery of returning until a vaccine exists to combat the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of the players, especially on our [Celtics] team, yes, they do want to get back. They're itching to go out there and play basketball,\u201d Kanter said on this week\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/link.chtbl.com\/eneskanter\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cThe Enes Kanter Show\u201d<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/boston\/podcast\" target=\"_blank\">NBC Sports Boston podcast network<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wysiwyg-center\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/r\/nbcspodcasts\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to enter <\/a>NBC Sports Boston\u2019s Podcast Sweepstakes for your chance to win a desktop Bluetooth speaker\/microphone!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\"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 \u2014 I\u2019m not going to tell who or which team \u2014 but he said, \u2018There's so many guys on our team, they're not going to play.' They\u2019re actually in the Eastern Conference, they\u2019re in a playoff spot, and they\u2019re like superstars. Like, if I tell you who it is, you\u2019d go crazy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I just can\u2019t tell you who that is. But they said, \u2018Hey, we're not going to play.\u2019 \u2026 Until they find a vaccine, until they find a cure, they\u2019re not going to play.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Kanter didn\u2019t reference whether if it was a former or current All-Star and he has deep ties throughout the league after stops with the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Celtics. It\u2019s also important to note that it\u2019s secondhand information and might not definitively reflect whether that concerned star's feelings have changed more recently.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/link.chtbl.com\/eneskanter\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to listen and subscribe to The Enes Kanter Show Podcast:<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/the-enes-kanter-show\/episodes\/b8bbd497-5c80-49ed-8a98-f6d3fefb14e2\/embed\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The NBA is still discussing potential return-to-action plans and has not formally outlined a restart plan or how it plans to ensure player safety, something that might diminish any concerns a player might have about a resumption in play. The NBA acknowledged last week that it had started exploratory talks with Disney World about a possible bubble scenario in Orlando.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What it does suggest is that at least a small percentage of NBA players have concerns about the health risks involved with a restart amid this pandemic. Kanter said that, if what he is being told is true, the names would surprise fans.<\/p>\n<p>\"I was shocked, though, by the players that didn\u2019t want to play,\u201d said Kanter. \"If they don\u2019t play, like, wow, those people are like All-Star players.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZOrEfFtRAPY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe> \n"
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Celtics

Celtics

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter believes that most NBA players are eager for the season to restart this summer, but said he’s been told by a former teammate that at least one All-Star-caliber player in the Eastern Conference is leery of returning until a vaccine exists to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

“A lot of the players, especially on our [Celtics] team, yes, they do want to get back. They're itching to go out there and play basketball,” Kanter said on this week’s “The Enes Kanter Show” on the NBC Sports Boston podcast network.

Click here to enter NBC Sports Boston’s Podcast Sweepstakes for your chance to win a desktop Bluetooth speaker/microphone!

"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. 

I just can’t tell you who that is. But they said, ‘Hey, we're not going to play.’ … Until they find a vaccine, until they find a cure, they’re not going to play.

Kanter didn’t reference whether if it was a former or current All-Star and he has deep ties throughout the league after stops with the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Celtics. It’s also important to note that it’s secondhand information and might not definitively reflect whether that concerned star's feelings have changed more recently.

 

Click here to listen and subscribe to The Enes Kanter Show Podcast:

 

The NBA is still discussing potential return-to-action plans and has not formally outlined a restart plan or how it plans to ensure player safety, something that might diminish any concerns a player might have about a resumption in play. The NBA acknowledged last week that it had started exploratory talks with Disney World about a possible bubble scenario in Orlando. 

What it does suggest is that at least a small percentage of NBA players have concerns about the health risks involved with a restart amid this pandemic. Kanter said that, if what he is being told is true, the names would surprise fans.

"I was shocked, though, by the players that didn’t want to play,” said Kanter. "If they don’t play, like, wow, those people are like All-Star players.”