The VIP Lounge with Enes Kanter

Enes Kanter is excited to be making his debut with the Boston Celtics. “I love being in Boston,” said the 6-foot, 11-inch center. “From day one, everybody has opened their arms and given me a warm welcome.” The Swiss-born athlete, who was raised in Van, Turkey, moved to California in 2009 to play basketball at a prep school before being recruited by the University of Kentucky. He played there for one year before being drafted by the Utah Jazz, after which he played for a couple of other teams and then came to Boston. Kanter, 27, has made news recently for his political activism. He has been an outspoken critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and said that because of his opposition to the current regime, he has been banned from Turkey, where his family lives, since 2015. He said he will not stay silent until there is democracy in his homeland. We caught up with Kanter, who lives in Boston, to talk about all things travel.

Probably my home country, Turkey. Last time I was there it was 2015, so I miss it there a lot. I remember going there every summer [and it was] so special. I usually stay there around 30 days, and my mom was cooking all 30 days. . . . Think about having a Thanksgiving dinner 30 nights in a row. And no food can beat mom’s homemade [cooking]. So, whenever I returned from being home in Turkey, my friends would make fun of me and say I look fat, ask what happened to me, say I have a double chin and man boobs. I would look in the mirror and [think] I have to start losing weight. I wouldn’t care that much if I wasn’t an athlete.

My favorite food while I’m traveling is pizza cause it’s so quick and I love pizza. I always get the weirdest toppings. One time I had mac and cheese pizza. I felt so guilty and so unhealthy after I ate it. My favorite drink is probably coconut juice. It’s important to stay hydrated while traveling, so I always make sure to drink lots of coconut juice.

Where would you like to travel to but haven’t?

I always wanted to go to Senegal. My charity organization, the Enes Kanter Foundation, does charity work all over Africa. I’ve visited South Africa, Mozambique, and Kenya. Senegal was on schedule, but I had to cancel that because of a last-minute logistical problem. So I would love to go there and give back to the Senegalese community. There are many Turkish schools over there, so I have so many friends. Also, my good friend and teammate Tacko Fall is from there, so it would be nice to visit him in his country. He has been inviting me almost every week and saying how amazing the place is and how delicious the food is.

One item you can’t leave home without when traveling?

Probably my phone because I take lots of pictures and videos when I travel, for memories. So my phone is like my best friend. I take it everywhere.

Aisle for sure, since there’s more leg room. Especially when you fly internationally — every leg room inch is a blessing, so I always book myself an aisle seat. And it’s easier to get up and walk and go to the bathroom, but the worst thing is if you are sleeping and if the person next to you sitting at the window side has to get up and go to the bathroom, then he/she has to wake you up. That’s the worst.

Probably my first vacation with my family. I was 8 years old. We lived on the east side of Turkey and we traveled to the west side. I started making a list of what I’m going to bring four months before the trip. My mom was making fun of me and saying, “You know we still have four months to go to vacation . . . relax.” I didn’t care. I was so excited and had my luggage just sitting in my room ready to go. Two days before our vacation, my mom unpacked my luggage and packed what she wanted me to bring. And I was like, “Really, Mom?”

Whenever I travel — especially in the offseason — I always eat food that’s bad for me. My favorite food is burgers and I’m, like, addicted to any sweet. But because I eat so clean during the season, when the season is over, I always go crazy on food. I usually take 45 days off after the season, and I usually gain 25 pounds every summer. Some people have cheat days; I have a cheat month and a half. Lots of sweets and fast food. When I start practicing after the summer for the first time, I can barely breathe and move.

Whichever country I go to, I always try to learn about their culture and learn a few words at least, cause I don’t want to do anything wrong to offend people and I want to respect their culture and beliefs, so I study the country and the culture before I travel. It helps me have a better connection and more of a fun time with them. It’s so fun to learn about new cultures and meet new people and learn about our differences, cause in the end, we’re all human. The more I travel to different countries and learn about different cultures, the more I realize that we have more commonalities than differences.

Source: Bostonglobe.com

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