Hoopster rips Turkey
Thunder’s Kanter: I was detained because of politics
OUTSPOKEN NBA big man Enes Kanter blamed the regime of Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his hourslong detention Saturday in a Bucharest airport.
The Oklahoma City Thunder center was headed back to the United States — via a flight from London — after officials from the NBA and the State Department intervened to spring Kanter from Romania.
The Turkish embassy apparently canceled his passport without warning — a common ploy used by officials against political foes, according to Kanter’s camp.
“The reason behind this is just of course my political views and the guy who did it is ... the president of Turkey,” said Kanter in a 45-second video posted from the airport.
“He is a bad, bad man,” continued Kanter. “He is a dictator, and he is the Hitler of our century. So I’ll keep you posted guys — just pray for us.”
The third pick in the 2011 NBA draft later posted a Twitter photo where he flashed a thumbs-up and announced plans for a Sunday news conference in New York.
“Got lots of things to say with lots of crazy stories,” he promised. “Be ready!!! Ohhh Yeeahhh.”
Kanter, who turned 25 on Saturday, flew into Romania from Indonesia. The 6-foot-11 veteran was traveling the world on behalf of his charity, the Enes Kanter Light Foundation.
“I’m being held at Romanian airport for Police!!!” read the post accompanying the video clip after Kanter was pulled aside by Romanian border police.
Kanter, with his tongue handing out, also posed with a pair of Romanian security officials in a photo shared on Twitter.
“The cops holding us are taking pictures,” he wrote. “Who do you think you are dealing with, cowards?”
Kanter missed a scheduled Bucharest date with local children, who sang “Happy Birthday” to the hoopster in a video shared via social media.
Kanter’s support of Turkey’s opposition Gulen movement and its leader Fethullah Gulen has already shattered his relationships with relatives in his home country.
The Islamic cleric’s followers consider him a spiritual leader rather than a politician, and he advocates a more tolerant version of Islam. Gulen lives in exile in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Erdogan blamed the Gulen movement for an attempted military coup in Turkey last year.
Kanter also blames his political views for keeping him off Turkey’s national team in recent years. He was a star on both Turkey’s Under-16 and U-18 clubs, including winning MVP honors at the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championships.
Kanter, originally drafted by the Utah Jazz, was traded to the Thunder in February 2015.
He has emerged as one of the NBA’s top bench players, averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season.