In May, on his 25th birthday, Knicks center Enes Kanter was held at a Romanian airport in Bucharest. Kanter claimed he was detained at the airport, though Fabian Badila of the Romanian Border Police stated Kanter "wasn’t detained or locked up."
According to Kanter, Turkey—the hooper’s home country—had canceled his passport. The big man called out Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with Kanter claiming his passport was canceled because of his outspoken political views.
Eventually, Kanter was permitted to return home to the United States. Later, however, Erdogon issued an arrest warrant and labeled Kanter a terrorist.
Now, according to TMZ, Kanter is facing the potential of a 4-year, 8-month prison sentence back in Turkey, as he has been indicted by the chief public prosecutor's office in Istanbul. The sentence comes on the heels of some comments Kanter made against the Turkish president on social media earlier this year.
Kanter has referred to Erdogon as the "Hitler of our century."
As we have seen in his dealings with former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant, Kanter is not afraid of confrontation.
While with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, Kanter finished third on the ballot for Sixth Man of the Year. After moving into a starting role with New York, he’s having an even better campaign this year, as the Knicks fight for a playoff spot in the East.
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