Kanter’s love for Oklahoma continues
When Enes Kanter arrived at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City this weekend, a Thunder fan suggested he visit the small town of Poteau.
Kanter said he would. The fan didn’t believe him.
So, on Monday, Kanter and his agent, Hadis Fetic, are flying from OKC to Dallas to Fort Smith, Ark., then driving 40 minutes southwest to meet the mayor and city officials of a town of less than 9,000 people.
In the past year, Kanter has settled in as a New Yorker, but he’ll always be an Oklahoman. For a few days, he was back where he’s arguably most beloved, returning to Oklahoma City for a stop on his nationwide basketball camp tour.
More than 550 campers packed into The Hive Sports Complex in Edmond to get a chance to meet the center. Last summer, Kanter and Doug McDermott were traded to the Knicks for Carmelo Anthony.
Since then, Kanter has opted into the final year of his contract for $18.6 million to stay with the Knicks. McDermott was traded to Dallas, then signed with Indiana in free agency. Anthony looks to be on the way out of Oklahoma City this summer.
It could be awkward for Kanter coming back. But he remains as close as any former Thunder to the state, the place he found his basketball center after a tumultuous start to his NBA career in Utah.
“I think for me it’s not like that because this organization and this state gives me so much, and I will never have any hard feeling or anything because I still talk to Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams,” Kanter said. “Even Sam; I still talk to Sam (Presti), wishing him good luck. Definitely, I have no hard feelings.”
The fact is, Kanter can't stay away. Oklahoma City was among nine camp stops for Kanter through June and July, a list which includes major metropolises such as New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Houston.
He made a promise to close friend Steven Adams to come see the Thunder’s first-round playoff series against Utah. Even through another ordeal with the Turkish government — Kanter said his father, Mehmet, will go to court within the next two weeks after being sentenced to 15 years in jail — Kanter didn't dare cancel his remaining camp dates.
“Of course it’s tough,” Kanter said. “You feel the pain inside, but you cannot show it. You’ve got to be smiling with the kids and have fun with the kids.”
That’s a little easier to do when Kanter comes back to Oklahoma.
“I think just the people and the fans,” Kanter said of what makes Oklahoma so special. “Every time I come here, they show so much love.
“I’ve been saying this for years now. Every time I come here, it’s not like players and fans, it’s like a whole big family with the whole state. Every time I come here, they show me love, like family love.”