Enes Kanter has had some well documented political issues that have made him legitimately fear for his life at times, and fans in Denver mocked him over those issues during the Nuggets-Blazers game on Wednesday night. As you might expect, Kanter was bothered by that.
ESPN’s Royce Young heard at least one Nuggets fan taunt Kanter during Game 2 over not being able to return to his home country of Turkey. Kanter later issued a serious response on Twitter and called the heckling “hurtful.”
I wish I could go back to Turkey to see Family ????
But I chose to support Democracy, Freedom and Human rights,
I am grateful for most Americans supporting that right. @nuggets take control of your fans.
This is hurtful ????
Be grateful for the Democracy and Freedom we have here. https://t.co/SMGu9j3qc4— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 2, 2019
Kanter has been highly critical of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his views have resulted in him being disowned by his own family and having passport issues when traveling outside of the United States. He also chose not to travel with the New York Knicks to London earlier this year out of fear that Erdogan might have him killed.
While Kanter has joked about his situation in the past, taunting him over what is clearly a real issue for him and his family crosses the line. Expect the Nuggets to be on the lookout for fans who might make similar remarks later in the series.
