New Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter met with Senators Ed Markey (D – Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D – Ore.) on Tuesday as he looks to solve his asylum status.
Kanter, 27, has been feuding with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he has publicly called as an authoritarian and “Hitler of our century.” Erdogan arrested Kanter's father, Mehmet, and the Turkish government ceased validity to Enes' passport in May of 2017, forcing him to take wayward turns to get back to the United States, where he's stayed ever since, often claiming he fears for his life.
Kanter, a devout Muslim, is a staunch supporter of the exiled Fethullah Gulen, who resides in Pennsylvania.
“Senator Ron Wyden and I are committed to working with Enes Kanter so that he can safely travel outside of the U.S. to fully do his job for the Celtics and exercise his right to free speech,” Sen. Markey wrote on Twitter. “We applaud his willingness to speak freely against authoritarianism.”
The Celtics signed free agent Enes Kanter during the summer to a two-year deal worth $10 million. Kanter last spent two seasons with Atlantic Division rivals New York Knicks, averaging 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in 94 contests. The Knicks, deciding to prioritize a younger group of players, benched Kanter and eventually waived the Turkish center when no trade would materialize.
Kanter spent the remainder of the 2018-19 season with the Portland Trail Blazers, playing an instrumental role in Portland's Western Conference Finals run in the playoffs.
Sens. Markey and Wyden represent the home states for the Celtics and Blazers, respectively—Kanter's most recent teams.
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