Enes Kanter Won't Travel With Trail Blazers to Toronto, Fears Arrest if He Leaves U.S.
Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter will not travel with the team to Toronto for Friday night's game against the Raptors.
Kanter, a native of Turkey, spoke with Trail Blazers beat reporter Casey Holdahl on Wednesday night to address his fears he'll be arrested if he leaves the country.
"Because of one dictator I can't go out and do my job. Pretty sad," Kanter said.
Officials in Turkey put out an extradition request on Kanter in January and issued a red notice, which alerts Interpol to locate and arrest any person that has extradition orders pending.
Kanter missed a trip to London last month with the Knicks, his former team, fearing he could be killed because of his criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Kanter's Turkish passport was revoked in 2017 because of his support for Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by some for a failed coup against Erdogan. Gulen has denied any role in the attempted coup.
The Raptors agreed to a deal with Kanter this month after the Knicks waived the star center. In four games with Portland, Kanter is averaging 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
