Kanter to miss Raptors game due to immigration issues

Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter won't travel with the team for its Friday road game against the Toronto Raptors due to immigration issues, according to Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl.

Kanter's home country of Turkey previously revoked his passport due to his outspoken criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and an affiliation with Fethullah Gulen, the exiled cleric who has been accused by the Turkish government of leading a failed coup against Erdogan in 2016.

Although he played in Canada on Nov. 10 as a member of the New York Knicks, the 26-year-old's hesitancy to leave the United States appears renewed in recent months.

Fearing the possibility of extradition or worse, Kanter did not travel to England with the Knicks for their January game in London against the Washington Wizards.

"Going to London? I talked to the front office," Kanter told The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov in January. "Sadly, I'm not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president. There's a chance I can get killed out there."

He told ESPN last August he had to cancel a basketball camp in Canada due to ongoing political tensions with the Turkish government.

Kanter has appeared in three games since signing with the Trail Blazers after the Knicks waived him earlier in February. The 6-foot-11 center has averaged 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and two assists in just under 20 minutes per contest with his new team.