New York Knicks forward Kyle O'Quinn has earned a reputation on the team as being a source of energy off the bench and doing all of the intangibles that don't often show up on the stat sheet. As Knicks forward Michael Beasley told ESPN, O'Quinn is "the engine...the one that keeps it all going."
O'Quinn has also developed a solid reputation off the court, as the go-to Bar Mitzvah entertainer in the Big Apple.
In a story posted to ESPN by Ian Begley, O'Quinn explained how he went from attending just one or two Bar Mitzvahs to suddenly becoming "Bar Mitzvah Man" in NYC. When he's not corralling rebounds and energizing the Madison Square Garden crowd, O'Quinn says he spends some Saturdays partying at Bar Mitzvahs, often staying at longer than he's supposed to simply because it's too much fun.
Although, he admits it gets a little overwhelming when the kids get out of control.
Per ESPN,
"The parties are crazy," he said. "I did one, did two, and the next thing you know, I was just Bar Mitzvah Man."
"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.
"And the [parents] kind of leave it like, 'Kyle, you deal with it.' And it's kids saying, 'Selfie, selfie, selfie, snapchat, what's your snapchat?' But once you get that out of the way, it's fun."
The 6'10, 27-year old, says he didn't have any Jewish friends while growing up in Queens but quickly became a huge fan of the Bar Mitzvah entertainer lifestyle after attending the bat mitzvah of the daughter of his agent, Andy Miller.
Now, through his agency, O'Quinn has booked several appearances at bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs in the NYC area, according to ESPN.
"They see how much I enjoy it and they let me rock out," he said. "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."
