New York center Enes Kanter on Friday said he would not travel to London for the Knicks’ upcoming international game, because he believes he could be assassinated for his opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Knicks later said that Kanter also would not make the trip because of a visa issue.
Kanter is to stay in New York while the Knicks travel to face Washington at the O2 Arena on Jan. 17.
Photo: AP
He said he cannot travel anywhere except the US and Canada because “there’s a chance I could get killed out there.”
“Sadly, I’m not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president,” Kanter said. “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.”
Kanter has been a vocal critic of Erdogan for years, once referring to him as “the [Adolf] Hitler of our century.”
Kanter’s Turkish passport was revoked in 2017, and an international warrant for his arrest was issued by Turkey.
Kanter is a follower of a US-based Turkish cleric accused by Ankara of masterminding a failed military coup in 2016.
Kanter said it would be “easy” for an attempt on his life to be made in London.
“They’ve got a lot of spies there,” he added. “I think I can get killed there easy. It would be a very ugly situation.”
Kanter’s father, Mehmet, was indicted last year and charged with “membership in a terror group.”
The former professor lost his job after the failed military coup, even though he publicly disavowed his son and his beliefs.
“People often ask me why I continue to speak out if it’s hurting my family,” Kanter wrote in a column for Time magazine last year. “But that’s exactly why I speak out. The people Erdogan is targeting are my family, my friends, my neighbors, my classmates. I need to speak out or my country will suffer in silence.”
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-27. “Just being aggressive. My teammates trust me,” Leonard said. “Every moment when I touch the ball — assist, shooting the basketball or getting a rebound — I’m just trying to help the team win.” Leonard made three steals in a row at the start of the contest. “Just wanted to come out early in the
FLOP TO CONQUEROR: It was sweet vindication for Sam Darnold, who played for four NFL teams before his debut season in Seattle ended in the ultimate win The Seattle Seahawks on Sunday coasted to Super Bowl glory, routing the New England Patriots 29-13 as Sam Darnold sealed his journey from flop quarterback to conqueror of the NFL’s biggest prize. Brushing off a reputation for wilting in big games, journeyman quarterback Darnold threw for a touchdown and 200 yards on the grandest stage of all to give the Seahawks their second-ever Lombardi Trophy. “It’s unbelievable. Everything that has happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Darnold said. The victory was buoyed by a dominant defensive display and kicker Jason Myers’
Donyell Malen on Monday scored in each half as AS Roma beat Cagliari 2-0 to stay in touch with the chasing pack at the top of Serie A. Leaders Inter are eight points clear of city rivals AC Milan and nine ahead of reigning champions SSC Napoli. Roma are three points further back along with Juventus. Dutch centerforward Malen had scored only once in four appearances since joining on loan from Aston Villa last month, but he proved his worth on Monday with two excellent finishes. He ran on to a clever through-ball from Gianluca Mancini and his deft chip over the goalkeeper
FIRST MEDALS: Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland secured the first gold medal of the Milan Games yesterday, winning the men’s downhill ski race The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opened on Friday with a glittering ceremony at the San Siro stadium echoed by festivities at Games venues across the snow-capped Italian Alps. The extravaganza reflected the most geographically widespread Olympics in history. It culminated in the lighting of two cauldrons, one at Milan’s Arch of Peace and one in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the chic resort 400km from Milan that is hosting the women’s alpine skiing. Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two Italian skiing Olympic champions of the past, lit an intricate cauldron inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s knot patterns at Milan’s Arch of Peace. In the freezing mountain air of
RSS