- New York Knicks center Enes Kanter is skipping the team's trip to London, fearing retribution from the Turkish government.
- Kanter is an opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has had his passport revoked and arrested his father.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — New York center Enes Kanter will not travel to London for the Knicks' upcoming international game because he believes he could be assassinated because of his opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Kanter announced his plan Friday night after the Knicks' 119-112 win over the Lakers.
"Sadly, I'm not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president," Kanter told ESPN. "There's a chance that I can get killed out there. So that's why I talked to the [Knicks'] front office. I'm not going."
"It's pretty sad that just all this stuff affects my career and basketball, because I want to be out there helping my team win," he added. "But just because of that one lunatic guy, one maniac or dictator, I can't even go out there and just do my job. So it's pretty sad."
Kanter will stay in New York while the Knicks travel to face Washington in London on Jan. 17. He says he can't travel anywhere except the U.S. and Canada because "there's a chance I could get killed out there."
Kanter has been a vocal critic of Erdogan for years, and his Turkish passport was revoked last year. Kanter is a follower of a U.S.-based Turkish cleric accused of masterminding a failed military coup in 2016. His father was arrested by Turkish authorities in 2017 as part of their investigation into the cleric. Kanter says the arrest was because of his own statements.
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