NBPA Backs Enes Kanter After Calling out Nuggets Fans, NBA Turkey Twitter Account

After Enes Kanter called out mistreatment by fans and the NBA's Turkish Twitter account Thursday, the league's players association defended the Portland Trail Blazers player, according to Royce Young of ESPN. 

"The National Basketball Players Association fully supports our players using their platforms to stand up for their beliefs and the principles they support," the NBPA said in a statement. "We stand with Enes and, as with all of our players, will work to ensure that he is treated fairly and with respect."

The statement came after Kanter defended himself and his political beliefs in response to heckling from Denver Nuggets fans in Game 2:

He also took note of the league's Turkish Twitter account leaving him off the list of top performers in a tweet recapping the Trail Blazers win:

The Turkey native has been an outspoken opponent of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has effectively exiled him from his home country. 

Earlier this year, he explained in an essay for the Washington Post that he couldn't even go to Europe because he feared he would be "kidnapped or killed by Turkish agents."

The Turkish government also canceled his passport in 2017 and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Even while defending his political views off the court, Kanter has remained an effective NBA player on the court and will look to help the Blazers take a 2-1 lead over the Nuggets in Game 3 of the teams' second-round playoff series on Friday night in Portland.