One of Kanter’s representatives told the Oklahoma’s Brett Dawson that his client was in “high spirits.” Nevertheless, Dawson that the Thunder and the NBA are working together to get Kanter back to the United States. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports/Files

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - U.S.-based Turkish basketball star Enes Kanter was refused entry into Romania on Saturday because his Turkish passport had been cancelled, Romanian border police said. Courtesy Enes Kanter/Courtesy Maestro Consulting & Management Group/Handout via REUTERS

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S.-based Turkish basketball player Enes Kanter was back in the United States on Monday and poised to speak publicly about being detained after his Turkish passport was canceled because of what he described as his "political views." Kanter discussed the travel problem, which happened to fall on his birthday, on Twitter:

He later posted a lighthearted photo from the airport with the hashtag "Free Enes:"

An ESPN.com report noted the 25-year-old, who's represented Turkey at the international level, has become an "outspoken critic" of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan through his support of the Gulen movement. Later Monday at a news conference, Kanter is expected to discuss what he has contended is retaliation for his long-time support of Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, whose extradition Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan is seeking in relation for a failed coup last July.
Enes Kanter, a Turkish player with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, returns to the U.S. after having been briefly detained in Bucharest. Kanter alleged that his public opposition to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and support of exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen had led to the cancellation of his Turkish passport.