Kwani Lunis is a rising star in Boston, Massachusetts that you should probably be paying attention to.
A native of Orange, New Jersey, the Boston College alum currently serves as the Social Media Producer at NBC 10 Boston/ NECN.
Prior to her stint at NBC 10, Lunis was a Social Media Coordinator at NBC Sports Boston.
Get this: she transitioned from sports to news during the coronavirus pandemic quarantine.
“It’s just been a different experience with one coming from sports; something that’s a little more lighthearted and fun, versus news – obviously there can’t be any fun news stories,” Kwani Lunis told me on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
“But for the most part during this pandemic, you’re talking about a lot of things that are very sensitive so, my job has definitely helped me realize that now I have to change my tone of the way that I’m talking about news and the content that I’m covering is more diverse, but I have to make sure that I’m able to cover each story and give it the respect that it deserves.”
Lunis admits that one of the biggest sports stories that became news stories was the death of NBA and Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. “Yes it was sports,” she tells Scoop B Radio.
“But we know he also transcended basketball. So that ended up being the first hard news that I covered in a while. And obviously just being around sports all the time it was fun and games –no pun intended, but when he passed I think it was switch that flipped for me and I realized that yes you’re covering sports, but you have to be able to tell people’s stories in a way where it’s not just about what they did on the court. And that’s what I have always been passionate about with sports; the fact that I’m able to cover basketball which is one of my favorite sports is a honor but, I realize that yes I love watching the game but seeing that athletes are more than just athletes. They’re human beings that have lives. You look at Kobe Bryant’s Instagram bio, in his bio it says nothing about basketball. He wanted to be known for more than just the Kobe Bryant we knew as a basketball player.”
While appearing on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Kwani Lunis discussed other topics like the Boston Celtics, being from Orange, New Jersey which is a stone’s trown away from West Orange, New Jersey; the hometown of former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving.
For those keeping score at home: Irving is now a member of the Brooklyn Nets.
Check out snippets from our dialogue below:
Kwani Lunis on the Boston Celtics and what stood out to her this season:
“I think for the team as a whole, this was the first full season that I was at all the home games. Ever since I started working there since 2016, I had always been following the Celtics and they’ve had roster changes over the last four years was so different now. You look at the 2016 team and you look at this team now, I think for me just watching the evolution of the Celtics and how they continue to surprise people on a regular basis. Like, that 2016 team was already really good but, there were trades that had to be made. But I look at the beginning of this offseason before the 2019-20 season and even just the progression throughout the year – Like, obviously in an every 82 game season you’re going to have some games that are very disappointing. But for the most part, you could just see the progression not only on a team level, but also on an individual player level obviously Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were the stars on the team, Kemba just got traded here which also is a really good supplement for this roster and they already had pieces like Gordon Hayward and Daniel Theis. I just watched the team progress over the year. I’m really disappointed obviously, but I can’t be more disappointed as they probably were because they were the ones actually playing but, being able to watch them seeing them clinch a playoff berth, I definitely think that they would have made it far so, I’m disappointed that we don’t see that team – I don’t know what the future will be, but I’m just disappointed that momentum is mostly dead and we can’t see what would’ve been.”
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown and ex-Celtics guard Kyrie Irving embrace.
Lunis on Kyrie Irving’s relationship with Boston Celtics fans:
“I take pride in being from Jersey and it’s probably the corniest thing ever. But as you know people from Jersey always have this chip on our shoulder because they call us all types of names and – I was just rooting for him from the beginning; just because again, he’s a West Orange native, but also he’s just a really good player. Always been one of the point guards that I look to when I’m watching the game. I love watching his handle. I love the way he’s…it looks like he’s dancing on the floor because, it’s literally an art when you watch him. But like you said, watching the love-hate I understand both sides. I kid you not. Not even going to be political about it, you see why Boston fans have that – I would say kind of a grudge towards him at this point and I understand. But I also understand why he went home. Like, I won’t say that I was a New Jersey Nets fan growing because I – I just wish that I had been because now I love Jersey that he’s back [laughs]…But I get the idea of wanting to go back home. Like, everyone for the most part; everyone wants to go back home. You mentioned that I went to Boston College and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work in this market and really thrive here. But at the same time, I’ve always wanted to go back home. I never expected to stay in Boston – I never expected to be in Boston, but the fact that I’m here a little longer than expected and I’m loving it. But at the same time, if there’s an opportunity – not right now, but something’s that long term I would go back home in a heartbeat. If the opportunity presented itself I would. So I understand why he wanted to go home. I see that there was maybe a big disappointment in the season not turning out the way it was supposed to, maybe the chemistry really wasn’t there and chemistry is really a big thing for teams. You want everyone to be getting along. Everyone doesn’t have to be ‘best friends’. I think that there’s a perception that for chemistry that everyone has to be the best of friends. I think that it’s more of the respect and if everyone in the locker room can respect each other to put their differences aside and be like, ‘A’ight I can play the game with you. I might actually hate you. But we want to win and we’re going to achieve this goal together’… I’m not saying that was the case, but I think for that locker room there just wasn’t that chemistry and that will make you leave when there is not anything there for you. And you want to pursue something else. You want to play with KD which is one of his closest friends and now he’s able to be there and be home with his family and friends. I get it. I get both sides. I try not to have an opinion on that specific part of it because I can genuinely understand everyone’s opinion on that perspective on it.”
Comments
NBC 10 Boston’s Kwani A. Lunis Discusses Celtics, Kobe Bryant & More