After revealing that he was afraid to travel to London with the New York Knicks for fear of assassination, center Enes Kanter has said that he’s been receiving “hundreds and hundreds of death threats” since his statement, and currently only feels safe within the United States.
Speaking to CNN’s Hala Gorani about the issue, Kanter revealed that the only place in the world where he currently feels safe is in the United States:
“First, I would love to go to London,” Kanter said on Wednesday. “It's just very sad because I'm scared of my life because Erdogan's operation in [a] foreign country. The operations are very famous [for] hunting down people who are speaking out against the government.”
Following the team’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last week Kanter – who has previously criticized Turkish President Ergodan – revealed that he would not be traveling with the Knicks as they head to London to play the Washington Wizards on January 17.
The reason, as explained earlier, was due to the players fear of possible assassination.
“After I made that comment about London, I have been getting hundreds and hundreds [of] death threats almost every day,” Kanter told CNN.
Despite the extra security precautions that Kanter could have had, he and the team decided not to risk anything.
Currently on track to become an American citizen in 2021, Kanter also made sure to thank not only the fans of the New York Knicks, but the American people in general for their hospitality and support that he’s received.
While the Turkish government claims that Kanter is “irrational,” the star center is obviously extremely fearful, and won’t be leaving the country anytime soon.
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