Enes Kanter will be active and in uniform for the Boston Celtics for their Christmas Day matchup with the Raptors in Toronto.
Kanter wrote an editorial in Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper in which he announced he would be able to play in the game after fears for his safety had been resolved.
"I want to thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, U.S. and Canadian law enforcement, U.S. Senator Ed Markey, the Celtics, the NBA and my managers for working diligently to make my Christmas game against the Raptors possible and ensuring my safety there," Kanter wrote. "And, on Christmas night, I will play in my first game as a Celtic outside the U.S. when I take the court against the Raptors."
Kanter, who has been an outspoken critic of the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, didn't play in Toronto last season when a member of the Portland Trail Blazers over fears of reprisal from the Turkish government if he left the United States. There had been discussions of safeguards being put in place if the Trail Blazers had faced the Raptors in the NBA Finals, but Portland was swept out of the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals by the Golden State Warriors to prevent that from becoming a potential issue.
The 6-foot-10 center, who is averaging 7.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 20 games for the Celtics, has been part of an ongoing rotation at center for the Celtics this season -- even more so after injuries to Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier have left the Celtics short at the position. If Kanter had been unable to play Wednesday, Boston would have had only starter Daniel Theis and rookies Grant Williams and Tacko Fall available.
Boston is hoping for more good news Tuesday, when the Celtics hold a practice before flying to Toronto for Wednesday's game. The expectation is that Gordon Hayward will go through practice and be listed as probable for the showdown with the Raptors, while Marcus Smart could also practice after sitting out for the past six games because of an infection that spread to both of his eyes.
Toronto, which is coming off a 30-point second-half comeback Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks, plays Monday night in Indiana against the Pacers and is dealing with its own set of injury issues, as Pascal Siakam (groin), Norman Powell (shoulder) and Marc Gasol (knee) have all been ruled out indefinitely.