Kanter says 'thugs' harassed him outside mosque over political views

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter posted a video Friday where he claimed a pair of men were harassing him as he and teammate Tacko Fall left a Boston mosque near the team's practice facility.

Kanter linked the incident to his lengthy history of criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I was just scared," Kanter said Saturday, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "How about if they do something? I mean, more than me, it's Tacko ... I (wanted) to protect my Tacko.

"But it's not about Boston. It's about Turkish people. I would never, ever blame Boston or people in Boston. I would definitely blame the Turkish people and the Turkish government."

Kanter, who signed with the Celtics this summer, added he intends to hire full-time security moving forward.