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Kanter returns to U.S. after passport ordeal in Romanian airport

Enes Kanter/Twitter

Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter is back on American soil after spending his 25th birthday stranded in an airport in Bucharest, Romania on Saturday.

Kanter, who'd arrived from Indonesia in the midst of a world tour for his Light Foundation, was held up at the airport for several hours after having his passport revoked by the Turkish embassy.

With assistance from the NBA and the U.S. State Department, he was eventually allowed to leave the airport. He traveled to London en route to New York, where he arrived Sunday morning, his agent told ESPN's Royce Young.

Kanter posted about his airport detention on Twitter, saying the Turkish government had voided his travel documents because of his political views and his longstanding opposition of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

After arriving in London, Kanter posted again, saying he planned to hold a press conference to discuss the situation in detail once he returned to the U.S. His agent told Young the press conference will take place in New York on Monday.

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