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New York Knicks center Enes Kanter just wants to play basketball.
But the distractions are getting difficult for Kanter. The Turkish government wants to imprison him for four years for his political views, and he's now having to answer questions about that rather than focusing on the game.
Kanter again spoke out, this time addressing why he decides to voice his opposition to the government that wants him in jail, per Ian Begley of ESPN.
Article Continues Below“You guys were seeing today that I was just out there having fun, playing basketball and practicing with my teammates,” Kanter said. “… You guys are going to say, ‘How do you get used to, like, prison, this and that, whatever?' I think it's just nothing to me, man, because I'm in America. I'm good. My focus right now is just going out there, playing basketball, having fun with my teammates and just winning, and just thinking about playoffs. I don't really think about all this stuff, whatever. They can do whatever they want to do.”
Kanter is from Turkey, and the fact that his entire family is still back in that country is a risk for him. The government could definitely go after them if they wanted to.
It's sad to see the oppression he's facing from his home country just because he supports a certain ideology and because he insulted Turkey's current president, which is apparently considered a grave crime.
Kanter could just not say anything, but that's not who he is. He wants to be a beacon for those who are still in the country and being oppressed.
It's commendable that Kanter is standing up for what he believes in even in the face of danger. Hopefully everything turns out OK for him and his family with this situation.
