Enes Kanter begins 25 birthday detained at Romanian airport

Jan 11, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) reacts after a play when he was hit in the mouth against the Memphis Grizzlies during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) reacts after a play when he was hit in the mouth against the Memphis Grizzlies during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Enes Kanter
Apr 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Consequently, Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Enes Kanter begins 25th birthday under police watch detained in Romanian airport.

It’s been quite a 25th birthday for Enes Kanter, the enigmatic center of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead of celebrating and blowing out candles, Kanter was held for several hours awaiting the return of his passport.  The Turkish player is on a global philanthropic tour to promote his Enes Kanter Light Foundation.

Currently in Bucharest Romania the Thunder center was detained and his passport was initially cancelled (as per Kanter’s own words).

This morning Kanter sent out a video on Twitter detailing what he was dealing with.

Never one to mince words, Enes Kanter found himself in hot water, likely over his political views.

“They said they cancelled my passport by Turkish embassy. They’ve been holding us here for hours by these 2 police. The reason behind it is just, my political views. The guy who did it is Recep Tayyip, (Erdogan)  the president of Turkey.”

The video Kanter posted on his Twitter feed offers a  few details. Most notably,

Kanter’s passport was seized on the authority of the Turkish embassy.

No stranger to strong opinions Kanter appeared annoyed, but in good spirits as per his tweets showing him posing with the two police officers mentioned in his video.

Later in the day the star’s next Twitter messages indicated he was okay.  In addition, Enes relayed he will be in New York tomorrow (Sunday) and holding a press conference with plenty to say about his crazy predicament.

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First of all, Kanter had been on a global tour with his charity The Enes Kanter Light Foundation hitting a few locations in Asia and the Philippines. Consequently, the foundation targets young children with messages to work hard and stay physically fit.

In the most current tweet a large crowd is shown signing Happy Birthday to Kanter.

Obviously it wasn’t an ideal or typical birthday for Kanter who’ll be back on American soil tomorrow and no doubt have plenty to offer regarding his  ordeal.

Thankfully, as a result it appears the latter portion of his 25th birthday will be far more enjoyable than the start.

Thunderous Intentions wishes Enes a Happy Birthday and a safe trip home.