During his brief time with the Boston Celtics, big man Luke Kornet has made the most of the opportunities he has received. In less than 15 minutes per game with the Cs, he is averaging 1.6 blocks; his current block percentage of 10.1 is second only to Tacko Fall’s 11.3.
He has also performed well as a floor-spacer, connecting on 36.8 percent of his three-point attempts. That amounts to a cool 2.4 triples made per 36 minutes.
It’s no wonder that Celtics coach Brad Stevens had apparently been eyeing him for years before he finally found his way to the Massachusetts Bay. Upon Kornet’s arrival, Stevens noted that he had been “really intrigued with Luke for a long time.”
However, his best trait may be his incredibly low-key approach to hoops stardom.
On Friday, Kornet’s sister, Nicole, let slip the hilarious reason why her brother is currently sporting No. 40 for the Celtics after keeping his jersey in single digits at Vanderbilt, as well as during his time with the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls.
The explanation only serves to enhance his “good dude” vibes.
The Celtics Apparently Forgot to Give Kornet His Chosen Number
Per Nicole’s tweet, Luke had chosen the No. 9 for his jersey after landing in Beantown. The one he had worn throughout his NBA career — No. 2 — was retired by the Celtics in honor of their architect, Red Auerbach, in 1985. Meanwhile, the No. 3 that he wore in college was retired in honor of five-time All-Star Dennis Johnson six years later.
Unfortunately, his new duds weren’t ready at the time of his arrival, so the 7-foot-2 center temporarily slapped No. 40 on his back. Or so he thought…
“Best part about Luke’s ugly #40 is that he actually chose #9, but his jersey wasn’t ready in time so they said they’d switch when they got back to Boston,” she tweeted.
Apparently, making the witch wasn’t a priority for the team, though.
“They forgot,” she continued. “And Luke doesn’t want to say something and make someone feel bad. That’s Luke Francis for ya.”
Clearly, no one can accuse Kornet of being a prima donna. His status as the wearer of an “ugly” jersey number has definitely been confirmed, though.
Nicole Kornet Is a Star in Her Own Right
Luke isn’t the only one making waves in his family. In addition to dropping Twitter gems — like when she outed her brother for driving a 2012 Toyota Camry with the license plate currently duct-taped to the back windshield “because screws rusted off” — she was a baller in her own right.
Nicole played college basketball at both Oklahoma and UCLA. During her final go-round with the Bruins, she put up 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest. In doing so, she helped her squad reach the Sweet Sixteen.
More recently, though, she has been focusing on her fledgling acting career.
Later this year, fans can catch her on the big screen in LeBron James’ Space Jam: A New Legacy, the highly anticipated follow-up to what is undoubtedly one of the most iconic hoops films of all time.
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The Hilarious Reason Why This Celtics Addition ‘Chose’ His Jersey Number