Enes Kanter said he did not feel safe traveling to London for the Knicks' game against the Wizards Thursday. As Knicks center Enes Kanter continues to deal with the ramifications of speaking out against the Turkish government and president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is standing in support of the 2011 No. 3 pick. While speaking to reporters before Thursday's NBA London Game between the Knicks and Wizards, which Kanter decided not to travel for out of fear of the Turkish government, Silver said the league has to be aware of global political issues, such as what Kanter is drawing attention to, because the NBA is such an international organization in how it handles business. "I understand his reasoning why he elected not to come," Silver said, according to Mark Woods of ESPN.com. "Certainly there was never a suggestion from the league that he was not welcome to come on this trip. But we live in a world where these are issues that he is dealing with. And I recognize that for the NBA, because we're a global business, we have to pay attention to these issues as well. "There is nothing more important to me as the commissioner of the league than the security and safety of our players. We take seriously the threats that he's received, even if it's just people on social media. I support Enes as a player in this league and I support the platform that players have to speak out on issues." On Wednesday, the Turkish government reportedly issued a warrant for Kanter's arrest and extradition, saying he was a member of a terrorist organization looking to overthrow the government. Kanter has previously expressed his support for Erdogan's political rival, Fethullah Gulen, the cleric reportedly behind the failed coup attempt of 2016. Gulen has denied being a part of any such activity. Silver added that it's "very unfortunate" Kanter could not travel for New York's game, which the team lost 101-100 due to a late goaltend.<doc-sep>Former Turkish basketball player Hedo Turkoglu slammed New York Knicks forward Enes Kanter over Kanter's decision to skip a game in London due to alleged fears he could be killed over his opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkoglu, the current president of the Turkish Basketball Federation and a chief adviser to Erdogan, accused Kanter of “trying to get in the limelight with irrational justifications and political remarks.” Kanter told reporters Friday he would be missing the Knicks’ game against the Washington Wizards on Jan. 17 because he believes he could be assassinated for his support for a U.S.-based Turkish cleric accused by Turkey’s government of masterminding a failed military coup in 2016. CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE NBA COVERAGE “I talked to the front office and sadly I’m not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president,” Kanter said. “There’s a chance I can get killed out there. That’s why I talked to the front office, and I’m not going so I’m just going to stay here and just practice here.” When asked if he really thought he could be killed if he went to the United Kingdom, he replied, “Oh yeah, easy. They’ve got a lot of spies there. I think I can get killed there very easy. It would be a very ugly situation.” Turkoglu said Kanter’s remarks amounted to a “smear campaign” against Erdogan. “Kanter not only targeted the Republic of Turkey, governed by the rule of law, with unjust accusations but he also regarded the British security forces as weak and attempted to harm Turkish-British relations,” the statement read. “It is obvious that this person’s remarks are irrational and distort the truth.” Kanter has been a vocal critic of Erdogan for years, once referring to him as “the Hitler of our century.” His Turkish passport was revoked in 2017 and an international warrant for his arrest was issued by Turkey. 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. In July, Kanter told Fox News he gets “three or four death threats every week.” He said he believed the threats are from pro-Erdogan supporters both in Turkey and outside of it. Kanter said he feels safe in the U.S. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “But anywhere outside America would be very dangerous,” he said. Fox News’ Kathleen Joyce contributed to this report.<doc-sep>LONDON -- Enes Kanter's absence from the New York Knicks' trip to the United Kingdom amid claims he fears assassination by the authorities in his native Turkey is "very unfortunate," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday. The 26-year-old center missed Thursday's regular-season game against the Washington Wizards at London's O2 Arena, insisting he is "trapped" in the United States due to his vocal criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Earlier this week, prosecutors from Turkey, which canceled Kanter's passport in 2017 due to his public backing of Erdogan's political foe Fethullah Gulen, issued an international warrant for Kanter's arrest. Kanter told ESPN that senators he has spoken to in Washington said he doesn't have to worry about being extradited to Turkey. "They said don't worry about it. There's no way they can extradite me back in Turkey because you didn't do anything wrong here," he said. Kanter told ESPN that he has been getting "hundreds" of death threats on social media. "You never know. I'm not saying they could do an operation here. But there could be one crazy supporter that can do anything. That's why everywhere I go, I have someone with me. Even grocery shopping," he said. Silver said the NBA remains supportive of Kanter's decision to remain in the United States rather than travel to Europe. "I understand his reasoning why he elected not to come," Silver said. "Certainly there was never a suggestion from the league that he was not welcome to come on this trip. But we live in a world where these are issues that he is dealing with. And I recognize that for the NBA, because we're a global business, we have to pay attention to these issues as well. "There is nothing more important to me as the commissioner of the league than the security and safety of our players. We take seriously the threats that he's received, even if it's just people on social media. I support Enes as a player in this league and I support the platform that players have to speak out on issues." Kanter said the support from Silver and Knicks owner James Dolan means a lot to him. "It meant a lot. There's two guys, their support, that meant a lot: James Dolan and Adam Silver," he told ESPN. Speaking to media ahead of the Wizards-Knicks game in the British capital, Silver floated the idea of opening discussions with the National Basketball Players Association over a future shift in the structure of the NBA season that might open up the possibility of in-season tournaments in Europe, Asia or Latin America. He confirmed that Europe's quota of regular-season contests is likely to remain at one for the 2019-20 campaign, but Paris' renovated Bercy Arena could supplant London as the host. "We've played many exhibition games in Paris over the years," Silver said. "I remember being there with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. There was tremendous excitement around that team, and I think it will continue to be an important market. "We took a number of years off because, of course, the arena was being renovated. I haven't yet been to the new Bercy Arena, but I hear it's fantastic. I'm looking forward to going back to Paris." Although India will receive its first taste of NBA basketball when the Sacramento Kings meet the Indiana Pacers in two preseason games at Mumbai's NSCI Dome on Oct. 4-5, it remains very unlikely that either India or China will get regular-season matchups in the near future. A focus on player welfare surrounding the long travel required, as well as the opportunity to build in outreach activities, means noncompetitive contests seem a better option, Silver underlined. "In a market like India, where we've never really played a preseason game, there isn't really an issue where people are saying to us, 'This has really got to be a [regular-season] fixture,'" Silver said. "They accept that this is a unique experience for two NBA teams to be making the trip. "In China, it's essentially been the same. It's not that they wouldn't prefer that we come with regular-season games. There is recognition that we have a very long season and if we were to change the formula from preseason to regular season, it would significantly shorten the trips because there wouldn't be as much time on the ground." ESPN's Ian Begley contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
Enes Kanter explains why he will not be traveling to London with the Knicks to play the Wizards. (0:47) LOS ANGELES -- Enes Kanter will not travel to London when the New York Knicks play the Washington Wizards on Jan. 17, saying he fears for his life because of his ongoing clash with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kanter, a native of Turkey, has been an outspoken critic of the Turkish government and Erdogan. A Knicks team official said Kanter won't travel because of a visa issue, but Kanter said he did not feel safe making the trip. "Sadly, I'm not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president," Kanter said after the Knicks' 119-112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. "There's a chance that I can get killed out there. So that's why I talked to the [Knicks'] front office. I'm not going. "It's pretty sad that just all this stuff affects my career and basketball, because I want to be out there helping my team win. But just because of that one lunatic guy, one maniac or dictator, I can't even go out there and just do my job. So it's pretty sad." Asked if he really believes that he could be killed if he travels to London, Kanter said, "Oh yeah, easy. "They've got a lot of spies there," he said. "I can get killed very easy. That will be a very ugly situation." Kanter has said he believes the Turkish government has targeted his father in the past because of the player's critical stance against the country's government. In 2017, Kanter's Turkish passport was canceled and he was held at a Romanian airport upon landing in Bucharest. In 2016, Kanter spoke out against Erdogan following a bombing in Ankara, Turkey's capital city. Kanter, who has received death threats, supports Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Turkish cleric who has been exiled from Turkey and is a bitter rival of Erdogan's. The Turkish government has accused Gulen of masterminding a failed military coup in 2016. Gulen has denied the allegation. According to a report by The New York Times, Erdogan has jailed, fired or suspended tens of thousands of people accused of plotting a failed coup. In December 2017, Turkey's state-run news agency, Anadolu Agency, reported that prosecutors were seeking more than four years in prison for Kanter on charges of insulting Erdogan in a series of tweets he posted in 2016. Kanter said he has avoided international travel for his safety, except for trips to Canada when the Knicks play the Toronto Raptors. Said Kanter: "So I'm just going to stay here, just practice here."