Enes Kanter, who has been clubless since he was released by the Houston Rockets in February, said in an interview that he wanted to play in Greece.
Enes Kanter has been clubless since he made his way to the Rockets in February as a result of the trade between the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets and was released by the team within minutes. Kanter, who has been playing for NBA teams since 2011, is also in danger due to his defensive weaknesses.
Enes Kanter seems to have set his mind on the possibility of returning to Europe in this direction. The 29-year-old actress gave a speech to the Greek newspaper Ethnikos Kirikas. in the interview expressed his thoughts as follows:
“My first goal is to play in the NBA and stay there. However, I grew up watching teams like Panathinaikos and Olympiakos. My brother also played for Kolossos Rhodes in Greece last year. He was always talking to me about how beautiful it was.”
“Before that, I would love to meet Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis. I would like to shake his hand and thank him for accepting refugees from Turkey. And maybe we can talk about the possibility of, for example, coming to Panathinaikos and building a friendship between the two countries. If I play for a Greek team, it’s not just about basketball. I want to build a bridge between the people of the two countries. We are not different from each other. We eat the same food and our cultures are very close.”
On the other hand, Enes Kanter expressed that there is a prejudice against him in NBA circles. He stated that after finishing the previous season with the Portland Trail Blazers averaging double-doubles, he was treated like he forgot basketball. Expressing that the basis of this is what he said about China in particular, “I talked about China and it made the NBA lose money. League management says it stands behind freedom of speech, but I don’t believe it. They’re trying to finish you off when you say things that don’t work for them.” said.
Kanter ended his speech by stating that Panathinaikos would be his first choice if he came to Greece:
“Panathinaikos is my first choice. My friend Mario Hezonja also plays there. If I’m going to go to a Greek team, it would be Panathinaikos. This of course depends on my future in the NBA and meeting with the Greek prime minister.”
