If you do not know the Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics story this holiday season, it is worth telling. Kanter’s story started making headlines in 2013 when he publicly opposed Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and support for Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government do not support.
According to Chris Barnewall of CBS Sports, Kanter had his Turkish passport cancelled in 2017 when he was in Romania hosting a basketball camp. He later was able to flee to Great Britain and then back in the United States.
Also in 2017, Kanter’s father Mehmet, who was a Turkish biology professor, was arrested and charged for being a member of a terrorist group according to the Associated Press. Mehmet was later released, but there was apparently an arrest warrant issued for Enes Kanter in his homeland of Turkey. That is why it has been so risky for one of the NBA’s most intimidating centers to even consider leaving the United States. As a result, Kanter did not travel with the New York Knicks to London, Great Britain for their game against the Washington Wizards or to Toronto while he was with the Portland Trail Blazers in March.
However for Christmas Day, Kanter travelled with the Boston Celtics for their game in Toronto. Despite continuing to be critical of the Turkish military operation in Syria, Kanter was able to leave the United States safely and come into Canada with the cooperation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
On Christmas Day, the Celtics beat the Raptors 118-102, with Kanter plating a key role. In coming off the bench, Kanter scored 12 points and 11 rebounds, as he was the only Celtics player with a double double. As a result, Boston improved to a record of 21 wins and seven losses on the season.
