Nick Collison Says Enes Kanter Is 'Great Guy' After Turkey Issues Arrest Warrant

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison spoke highly of teammate Enes Kanter after Kanter became a target of the Turkish government.

Collison told TMZ Sports he didn't feel qualified to offer an opinion on Kanter's political beliefs and ongoing situation in Turkey but added Kanter is "a great guy" and "wouldn't hurt a fly."

Kanter has been a vocal critic of Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has come at a great cost to the Thunder big man. In August 2016, Kanter's family disowned him over his support of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who went into exile in Pennsylvania and whom Erdogan blames for a failed coup.

On May 20, Kanter said the Turkish embassy canceled his passport, stranding him at an airport in Romania:

He tweeted shortly thereafter the situation had been resolved:

"That is what the Erdogan government did to me," the 25-year-old wrote Tuesday for The Players' Tribune. "That is what is happening right now to thousands of people in Turkey. The biggest threat to Erdogan is free speech, so he will punish anyone who speaks up or thinks for himself. You can ask the protesters beaten by his security detail last week in Washington, D.C."

Citing Turkish paper the Daily Sabah, ESPN.com's Royce Young reported the Turkish government issued a warrant for Kanter's arrest on allegations he's part of a "terror group."

Sports Illustrated's Michael McCann wrote Turkey can't execute the warrant when Kanter is in the United States or travels with the Thunder to play in Canada. The Turkish government could petition the U.S. for extradition, a process that "would take months and possibly years."