NBA player Enes Kanter urges int'l community not to allow Taiwan to be the next Ukraine, plans visit

NBA球員恩尼斯·坎特呼籲國際社會不要讓台灣成為下一個烏克蘭，預計訪台

The former Boston Celtics player has on several occasions in the past year voiced his support for Taiwan


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom said during an interview with Voice of America (VOA) on Tuesday (March 29) that he planned to visit Taiwan this summer and hold a large-scale basketball camp, to which President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will be invited to attend.

The basketball player, who has devoted much of his attention to human rights issues, urged the international community to do their best to not make Taiwan become the next Ukraine. He said that Taiwan belongs to the Taiwanese people, and no force can take the country away from them, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported.

The former Boston Celtics player has on several occasions in the past year voiced his support for Taiwan.

During the VOA interview at Capital Hill, Kanter said he planned to visit Taiwan this summer and stay for at least a week, per RTI.

He said he would hold a large-scale basketball camp during his visit. Speaking of President Tsai, he said that she is his idol and heroine and that he looks forward to sitting down with her and seeing what he can do for the people there.

Kanter also mentioned that basketball is a hugely popular sport in Taiwan and that all his friends had told him how beautiful the country is, how passionate and hospitable the people are, and how delicious the food is. He added that he had been studying Taiwanese history in the past four or five months.

When asked about the specific timing of his planned visit, he said the exact time had not been finalized as it was still being negotiated.

The 29-year-old NBA player said he did not regret his decision to voice his support for human rights. More athletes should come forward to make their voices heard, he added, according to the report.

However, he lamented that too many colleagues and athletes in other sports are too afraid of losing their shoe endorsement deals to voice their opinions, per RTI.