WASHINGTON: New York Knicks center Enes Kanter, staying home from an NBA game Thursday in London over safety fears, ripped Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a Washington Post column Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

Kanter, who says he receives death threats for his complaints against Erdogan, said he refused to join the Knicks on the trip to Britain for a game against the Washington Wizards because he worried Erdogan might have him kidnapped or killed.