Enes Kanter found himself in an uncomfortable and definitely scary situation. The Oklahoma City Thunder center was held at the airport in Romania after having his passport revoked by the Turkish embassy.
Kanter live tweeted the whole thing:
LÜTFEN YAYALIM!!! pic.twitter.com/tzuxzi8cG6— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 20, 2017
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 20, 2017
I'm being held at Romanian airport by Police!! pic.twitter.com/uYZMBqKx54— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 20, 2017
All good baby!— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 20, 2017
Gonna give press conference tomorrow in NY.
Got lots of things to say with lots of crazy stories.
Be ready!!!
Ohhh Yeeahhh pic.twitter.com/CXktUXk2PS
Thanks for all the birthday wishes.— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 20, 2017
Had another amazing year. I m so grateful for ALLAH (GOD)'s grace and all the blessing..! pic.twitter.com/4YSJPjm8J4
Kanter was traveling from Jakarta, Indonesia as part of his 2017 Enes Kanter Light Foundation global tour, when he was held reportedly “for hours” over his political views.
“The reason behind it is just, of course, my political views,” Kanter, who turned 25 Saturday, said in the video. “And the guy who did it is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey.”
Kanter has been an outspoken critic of the Turkish President, causing tension because he is one of the most famous professional athletes from Turkey. Kanter has been disowned by his family for being a supporter of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic leader and the face of the “Gulen Movement.”
The Thunder released a statement saying that they are working with the league office and gathering information through the appropriate channels.
