(NewsNation) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams is accused of taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions from officials in Turkey in exchange for various favors. A former NBA star says one of those favors was to withdraw mayoral support for anyone and anything that Turkey’s authoritarian regime viewed as a threat.
Enes Kanter Freedom tells NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” he felt the cold shoulder from Adams after the two of them were invited to Greece to accept an award.
“Me and Eric had a conversation about organizing free basketball camps for kids in New York. And I remember he got so excited. He gave me his phone number and said, ‘As soon as you come back, let me know,’” Freedom said.
But the former player, who spent two seasons with the New York Knicks, said that when he returned from the 2022 trip, Adams ghosted him.
Freedom also says friends in the Turkish expatriate community told him that, in 2016, Turkish officials warned then-Brooklyn Borough President Adams to “steer clear of a major Turkish American grassroots organization in New York because they oppose (Turkish president) Erdogan – because they stand with democracy and human rights in Turkey. And right after that, Eric promptly distanced himself from the organization.”
Freedom, who was born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, has been a vocal critic of Erdogan and has often said that he can no longer travel to Turkey for fear of being killed.