New York Knicks star Enes Kanter skips London game fearing he will be ‘killed’ by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan
NEW YORK KNICKS star Enes Kanter will miss the NBA London game this month, fearing he will be "killed" by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Knicks take on the Washington Wizards at the O2 Arena on January 17 in the annual basketball showdown on this side of the pond.
But they will have to do so without Kanter, 26, who has been very outspoken in his criticism of Erdogan - even calling him "the Hitler of our century.
The Switzerland-born Turkish centre had his passport revoked in 2017 and an international warrant for his arrest was issued.
Now, fearing he can't leave the US, Kanter has said: “I talked to the front office and decided I’m not going [to London].
“Sadly, I’m not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president.
“It’s pretty sad that all the stuff affects my career and basketball, because I want to be out there and help my team win.
"But just because of the one lunatic guy, one maniac, one dictator, I can’t even go out there and do my job. It’s pretty sad.
"They’ve got a lot of spies there. I think I can get killed there easy. It would be a very ugly situation.”
Last year, Kanter opened up about his reasons for criticising Erdogan, saying: “People often ask me why I continue to speak out if it’s hurting my family.
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“But that’s exactly why I speak out. The people Erdogan is targeting are my family, my friends, my neighbours, my class-mates.
"I need to speak out, or my country will suffer in silence.”
Kanter has been a key cog for the struggling Knicks this season - who sit second from bottom in the Eastern Conference - providing a real offensive spark off the bench.
The former Oklahoma City Thunder big-man has played 39 times in 2018-19, averaging 14.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.