Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes star, was once again found criticised by Ibrahim Kutluay, after the guard reacted sharply to comments made by the legendary Turkish player.
Shane Larkin recently responded to accusations that head coach Pablo Laso wanted to put him into the game during the Turkish Cup semifinal against Besiktas, but that the guard refused to play.
In a new television appearance, Kutluay again addressed the European vice-champion with the Turkish national team.
“Maybe it would be better if he used the time he spends on social media to focus on his teammates and a team that is making sacrifices. The Turkish Cup is the most important objective, and the team needs you. The team came back from a 15-point deficit. If you had played for five or eight minutes, rested other players, and drawn the defense’s attention, maybe the team wouldn’t have been eliminated. In my opinion, refusing to play is behavior that does not befit a captain. No matter how you feel, when the team needs you, the situation the team is in is more important”, the Turkish legend said.
Claim Now Kutluay added that he does not personally know Shane Larkin and therefore cannot judge his character.
“I was speaking strictly about his sporting character. He can be a good or a bad person – that doesn’t interest me. I’m talking about the role of a captain. In my view, if you’re on the roster and you’re healthy, that means you’re ready to play. At that moment, you have to take responsibility and lead the team. For a captain, it’s more appropriate to think about how to help the team than to send messages in the middle of the night.”
He concluded by saying that this is simply part of his job.
“I look at the ratio of contribution to cost on the court. My job is to comment. I’m not interested in what anyone does off the court. I follow what happens on the floor. Based on that, I criticize – and sometimes I praise”, Kutluay added.
It is also notable that Shane Larkin was not in Anadolu Efes’ lineup in the loss to Crvena zvezda in Round 29 of the EuroLeague, which supports his claims that he was not physically ready for the Turkish Cup semifinal against Besiktas.
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We’re used to the legendary Kari mixing English and German. 🤣
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) February 27, 2026
This time, however, Svetislav Pesic took it a step further by combining Spanish and English. 😂#FCBB #WeBallTogether #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/05WZevrAFK
