Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter has been grounded ever since his spat with the government of Turkey, of which he is an outspoken dissident to President Recep Tayyip Erodogan.
After the government pulled his passport while he was flying in Europe nearly three years ago, Kanter sought asylum in the United States. However, he was not able to participate in out-of-country games, like traveling to Canada, without a valid passport.
Kanter did just that for the first time in years when the Celtics visited the Toronto Raptors on Christmas Day, defeating the defending champions who were playing without last year's Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam.
On Friday, Kanter was asked about the “message” he sent to the Turkish government when he was finally able to travel outside the U.S. Unsurprisingly, the Celtics big man has strong words for his native country's government.
Enes Kanter entered the league as the third overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Last season, he split his time between the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers, later reaching the 2019 Western Conference Finals. In the offseason, the 27-year-old big signed a two-year contract with the Celtics as a free agent.
Kanter, who repeatedly criticizes free speech and human rights violations by President Erdogan, said earlier this week that he's constantly threatened by the Turkish leader's “goons.”
“I don’t have a home right now,” Kanter told CBC News Network’s Steve Niles on Tuesday, via Benjamin Blum of CBC. “If I was anywhere else besides in America, besides Canada, yes I believe my life could be in danger because I get death threats almost every day [from] Erdogan’s goons.
Kanter has been coming off the bench for the Celtics, the second-best team in the East, who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Follow Us
Subscribe
