Knicks reserve Kyle O'Quinn has become New York's 'Bar Mitzvah Man'
New York Knicks big man Kyle O’Quinn is making $4 million annually, but when you’re a professional basketball player in the Big Apple, there’s always an untapped business opportunity to supplement your income, and the 27-year-old has found an awfully rewarding one without much competition.
O’Quinn had so much fun at the bat mitzvah of his former agent Andy Miller’s daughter, calling it “one of the best parties I’ve been to in my life,” that he and his reps turned it into a side gig, according to ESPN.com’s Ian Begley. Now, you too can hire the 6-foot-10 reserve for your nephew’s bar mitzvah.
“The parties are crazy,” O’Quinn told Begley. “I did one, did two, and the next thing you know, I was just Bar Mitzvah Man.”
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“A lot of times, I go and I stay longer than I’m supposed to because it’s so much fun. The food’s always good.”
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“They see how much I enjoy it and they let me rock out. The parents are partying with the kids and it’s a big festival. They’re letting loose, having a good time, and the kids are having a good time.
“Honestly, it’s really nice to be a part of their culture and be down with them.”
I don’t know what each of them pays, but the food and music alone sound well worth his time.
O’Quinn has done a handful of bar and bat mitzvahs, where he essentially hangs out with your 13-year-old children on and off the dance floor, taking selfies and all that jazz, and he’s open to doing more, so long as they fall on a Saturday when the Knicks aren’t scheduled to play, according to Begley.
This isn’t the first time a Knicks player has made an appearance as a bar mitzvah hype man. Carmelo Anthony once made a cameo in an entrance video made for a New York entrepreneur’s son in 2014.
But Melo wasn’t actually dancing with the kids, so O’Quinn is taking the game to another level.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
