With the New York Knicks set to square off against the Washington Wizards in a special edition London matchup, one key player will be absent for the Knicks.
According to Newsday’s Steve Popper, veteran center Enes Kanter will not be making the trip with his teammates to London thanks to his ongoing criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Kanter said he will not be able to go to London. Said he’s Afraid he could be killed by spies for Turkish President.
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) January 5, 2019
With tensions between Enes Kanter and the Turkish government remaining high, he will skip the trip due to the fear of possible spies ending his life. Kanter, a native of Turkey, has been critical of the current regime in power on multiple occasions, something that has previously impacted his professional career.
Kanter’s father was detained by Turkish police just last year and prosecutors are currently seeking a four-year sentence for Kanter himself. A very scary and real situation, it makes sense for Kanter to avoid traveling to London at all costs, especially with his life at risk.
On the court, Kanter has been his usual solid self, though he isn’t ecstatic about his bench role. His stats remain serviceable however, as he’s averaging a double-double with per-game numbers of 14.4 points to go along with 10.7 rebounds.
