With the constant smile that Enes Kanter displays when stepping out at Madison Square Garden or during his many live streams from Times Square, it would be difficult to imagine the story that lies behind this confident and upbeat facade.
When Kevin Durant attempted to intimidate Kanter during the recent clash between the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks, the Turk could only laugh. The minor ongoing spat between the two pales in comparison to what the 26-year-old is up against on a daily basis: the weight of a nation, his own nation.
The attempted coup against the Turkish government in 2016 led to a crackdown on dissenting voices by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and few were more vocal about the leader’s actions in the aftermath than Kanter.
“I am not a political figure,” Kanter modestly tells me. “I am just an athlete who has been impacted by the current regime and I cannot stay silent.”
The price of speaking out, however, has been steep. The coup attempt was blamed on Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric and leader of the Hizmet movement. Among Gulen’s loyal supporters was, and is, Kanter: “Hizmet is a movement of charity and inspiring others to be good people, not a political solution. That mentality has been here before Gulen, and it will remain long after he has passed away.”
Erdogan does not share that view. The Turkish leader declared Hizmet a terrorist group immediately after the coup and began to crack down those who were linked with Gulen, even vaguely. Some 142,000 have been detained, 189 media outlets shut down, and more than 10,000 academics, judges, and prosecutors dismissed.
Last summer, en route to assisting a youth basketball camp, Kanter was detained in Romania as authorities learned his Turkish passport had been revoked. Shortly upon his return to the U.S., it was reported that the Turkish state had issued an arrest warrant for him, listing him a fugitive. In response, Kanter described Erdogan as “the Hitler of the 21st century.”
Prosecutors are seeking more than four years in prison for the NBA star on charges of insulting Erdogan. Iin June, his father, spent five days in jail due to his association with Kanter and faces his own 15-year sentence for his Hizmet support. He was forced to disown Kanter publicly amid the ordeal, even though it was seen as a tactical move for his safety.
Despite the consequences of speaking out, Kanter refuses to be cowed. He continues to be open with the media because he feels it will only help his cause.
“In Turkey the press is under attack,” Kanter says bluntly. “I have seen how media gets silenced. For this reason, I try really hard to always make myself available and answer hard questions. A free and independent media is crucial to put pressure not just on Erdogan, but any corrupt governments.”
With 319 arrested since the coup and 73 still behind bars, Turkey is the country with the most journalists imprisoned in the world, a title it has held for two years running. Chances of the press becoming more free in Turkey look bleak, but Kanter remains confident.
“I am always optimistic for Turkey. I will remain hopeful as long as I can. What needs to happen in my opinion is the government needs to release innocent people from jail, especially women, children, and journalists. If journalists are allowed to write freely and praise the government when they do good and criticize the government when they act out of order, then Turkey has a bright future. If you have media to hold corrupt politicians accountable, then there is hope.”
Kanter comes across many Turks in the U.S., who he says are “very happy and polite” toward him. He is unsurprised: “In my opinion, many Turks would criticize Erdogan but they are just too scared to. For this reason they just go with the crowd.”
Sport has always had the ability to influence social change, from the the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute by African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos to soccer player Didier Drogba, who helped bring an end to the Ivory Coast’s first civil war through a televised pledge in 2005. So do athletes, because of their large online followings, have a duty to stand up against injustice today more than ever?
“I think that athletes are normal people, some normal people pick a cause and fight for it, some do not,” Kanter tells me. “I think athletes that are passionate about something, whether it is shining light on a crooked regime, or standing up for women in the workplace, whatever you are passionate about and want to fix or change, you should get involved.”
Yet it does not come without a cost, as Kanter knows only too well. He has not spoken to his family since 2016, for fear that the communication is being monitored. “It will always be my home,” he says of Turkey, but it is uncertain when, or even if, he will be able to return.
With all of this going on in the background, one has to find ways of dealing with such pressure. “I surround myself with good people who keep me grounded and focused on the right things in life. I dedicate a lot of my time to charity and community work, so that keeps me away from negative things. My family has put a lot of effort in raising me to be a good person above all.”
Among the many charities with which the 6-foot-11-inch center is involved, Kanter raised funds this past summer for the victims of the Athens wildfires, where 82 people tragically lost their lives. It was a sign of what Kanter is all about, using his large Twitter following for the greater good.
His charisma and composure in delivering his message, backed by his actions, make him somewhat — presidential. But the suggestion of him becoming a politician is immediately laughed off: “I don’t think it is the right step for me now!” He does have other exciting ambitions: “I do have goals of being in the WWE, acting, and maybe one day serving the public in any capacity.”
He has already gained a political endorsement from a sufficiently renowned former Oval Office holder: “When I met Bill Clinton this past off season, he mentioned I might be in politics one day.”
For all of the tribulations he has gone through in the last two years, there are no regrets from Kanter. It is all part of the bigger picture.
“I know that I will be on the right side of history,” he says. “Sometimes you need to struggle a bit in life to accomplish great things.”
Andreas Vou is a freelance political columnist based in Europe.
