Because of the conflict with the Turkish government, Blazers center Ines Kante was afraid to return home, and even missed the previous European tournament (he was still a member of the Knicks at the time). Today, moderator Jeremy Schaap interviewed Kante and his Turkish compatriot Hidu Tekoglu (currently the president of the Turkish Basketball Association and an adviser to Turkish President Erdogan).
In the interview, Turkoglu mentioned Kanter's name exactly once, saying there was nothing to say between him and the former teammate: "I will not send a message to the supporters of the terrorist group." ”
The terrorist organization in Turkoglu's words refers to Erdogan's political enemy, Fethullah Gulen. In the early morning of July 16, 2016, a military coup crisis occurred in Turkey, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the incident of being related to Gülen in pennsylvania, saying that he planned and directed the coup.
Erdogan and Gülen were once political allies, but a corruption scandal in 2013 spilled over Erdogan and his family, and Erdogan accused Gülen of participating in the scandal, and their relationship broke down. Kante has been outspoken in criticizing the Turkish government and Erdogan, supporting Gülen, so he is in cahoots with the Turkish government, and his father was even arrested for a while.
In the interview, Kanter said his statement angered Erdogan and told the host that he would be killed once he returned to Turkey. Kanter also said that despite his strong will, it is still difficult to be the enemy of Turkey as a whole.
"Turkey is my homeland, where I grew up, where my home is rooted. When people ask me ' Where are you from?' How do I answer? 'Turkey? No, they don't accept me. ”
After the failed coup, Kante's father wrote a letter to a Turkish newspaper saying that Kanter had been "hypnotized" by terrorist groups. He "apologized to the Turkish people and the president for having such a son." ”
Kanter also said he could not remember when he last spoke to his parents and believed his father had written the letter to prevent the government from harassing his family again. Even so, a few months later, Kanter's father was fired from the school he worked for.
In the interview, Turkoglu repeatedly stressed that Gülen was a terrorist and Kante's support for him was treason. Mr. Turkeglu said Kanter used his star status in the NBA as a "platform to promote terrorist leaders," saying he was interviewed to raise awareness of Turkey, Kante and Gülen: "It's clear that our job is to sometimes tell everyone loudly and clearly what's really going on." ”