Kyle O’Quinn Absolutely Loves Bar Mitzvahs

Sports Illustrated ^ | Dan Gartland

[nickcarraway]

Easily the most unexpected NBA story I’ve read today comes from ESPN’s Ian Begley. Knicks center Kyle O’Quinn, it turns out, loves going to bar and bat mitzvahs.

His agent, Andy Miller, invited O’Quinn to his daughter’s bat mitzvah a few years ago, which O’Quinn called “one of the best parties I’ve been to in my life.” He was hooked, and now he books bar mitzvah appearances on a semi-regular basis.

"A lot of times, I go and I stay longer than I'm supposed to because it's so much fun," O'Quinn said. "The food's always good. The only thing that gets a little overwhelming is the kids; sometimes they don't listen to the structure of the party and it just gets loose.

[Bobalu]

I’ve been to some wild bar mitzvahs.

13yr old boys are crazy.

Bat mitzvahs tend to be a bit more tame...12yr old girls are a bit shy, or at least they were back in the day.

[The Fop]

I’m a Knicks fan, and O’Quinn looks like a good guy. With that beard, he could be a rabbi. And Black people have always loved Ashkenazi Jewish food.

Several years ago, I was getting some takeout food from a local Jewish deli in Queens. There were two middle aged Black women who were also getting takeout. They were reminiscing about all the old Jewish delis they used to go to when they were young, which no longer exist.

Not nearly as many Jewish delis as there used to be, as the older Yiddish speaking Jews have died off, and the younger Jews prefer the more healthy middle eastern Israeli food. I guess the Blacks couldn’t keep these places in business by themselves, but they sure seem to miss them.

[nickcarraway]

There is a new generation of traditional Jewish delis now.

[The Fop]

Where? I’m all ears!

[Yaelle]

Some of the more liberal synagogue bar mitzvahs lately have involved sexual activities in the bathrooms amongst the kids. I’m not liking these stories.