Boston Fans Won’t Like Kenley Jansen’s Celtics-Lakers Take

Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen is new to Boston, so he’s still getting used to knowing what he can and can’t say around these parts.

Jansen, after spending the first 12 years of his Major League Baseball career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, finally moved on to join the Atlanta Braves last offseason. One year later, he signed with the Red Sox to solidify the back end of their bullpen. Despite being two years removed from his original MLB home, the 35-year-old still has ties to LA.

“Sorry, the Lakers,” Jansen told MassLive’s Christopher Smith when asked to identify his favorite sports team. “Hey, I’m a Shaq fan. … That’s when I started watching basketball, with Shaq and Penny (Hardaway) with the Magic. And when he got traded, then I became a Lakers fan.”

Jansen had some other interesting answers in his Q&A with Smith, which you can read here.

Boston fans undoubtedly won’t be thrilled with the revelation, but it makes sense. Not only did Jansen grow up rooting for one of the greatest Lakers of all time, but he also made his home in Los Angeles for over a decade.

He’ll just have to hold a recent promise if he wants to keep Boston in his good graces.