ENES KANTER

But I am a basketball player going out there to compete, I am going to try to win no matter what. That is just in my blood.

I want to stay with the Knicks. They have great fans, team, organization, people. I would love to stay here.

Because I play in the NBA, I am lucky enough to have a public platform, so I've used every opportunity to make sure everyone knows about Erdogan's cruelty and disdain for human rights.

If I'm in America, I'm safe. I feel very safe. But if I step outside of America, it will be a very dangerous situation.

Professional athletes have an enormous opportunity to be a source of inspiration for the younger generation, lead by example, and prove to them that as long as you stand up for what you believe in, everything is possible.

Basketball is my escape, and I cannot bring any of my problems onto the court.

Basketball to me is more than a passion or a paycheck - it is the tool I use to try to have an impact in the world.

Our team security said, even if you go to a supermarket, have someone with you. So everywhere I go - grocery shopping, practice, go to games, go to plays - I always have someone with me because you never know, a lone wolf, one of the crazy Erdogan supporters will do something.

I love my country and I hope when all of the things are done, I want to go back to my country to see my family.

I mean, Turkey is my country. You know, it's my flag. That is where we're raised... My family is born there. So that's why, like, it's tough to see that... your country don't want you.

May 20, 2017, was one of the scariest days of my life. It was the day I realized I was being hunted by Erdogan.

I was a really good student, first, second grade, third grade, and then fourth grade a little bit. And then I don't know what happened. I became a very terrible student. I wish I took it more serious.

I'm 26 years old, I'm not some 43-year-old who's just gonna watch TV all day. Of course I want to go out there, hang out with teammates, hang out with people I love, go to the beach, go hang out!

Before I go to those teams, I say, 'Hey, I'm a Muslim and I have to pray five times a day.' And they respect it so much that they give me a prayer room. So before the game, after the game, before practice, before I fly out, I can go to that room whenever I want and pray.

I like pressure, the boos didn't mean nothing to me.

When I look back at my basketball career, I want to say I tried to inspire as much as I could.

Because the last time I saw my family was 2015. Sometimes I even forget what they look like, you know? It's so hard to communicate with them. Because Turkish police raided my house. They took electronics away, computers away. They wanted to see if I'm still in contact with my family or not. Any single text, they will all be in jail.

Constant pressure by Turkish consulates across the United States, as well as pervasive and continual harassment by the government in Turkey, has so far failed to stifle my dissent. As they increase the pressure, I raise my voice.

When I stepped in America outside of the plane, I said, 'I came home.'

It's the Milwaukee Bucks. Unless they give you good, good money, then go, but you don't leave New York for Milwaukee.

I'm a successful professional athlete, and whatever I'm going through in my private life would never impact my performance on court.

I am immensely blessed to be in America. This country has given me so much since I came here from Turkey as a teenager, and I feel obliged to give back to the community. I spent the summer crisscrossing the nation, holding 50 basketball camps for kids in 30 states.

When I think about America, I think about freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion. It's a peaceful country.

What am I doing, just playing basketball? It was eating at me. Because basketball, you play, you retire, you're done. I wanted to do something more.

After I see in OKC, I see this is how NBA teams are. You know how you're like in a dream and you have a superpower and just don't want to open your eyes and end the dream? Oklahoma City's been like that to me.