Symbol of a troubled Turkey, pro-Gulen NBA star splits with family

By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A U.S.-based Turkish basketball star has become a symbol of the turmoil afflicting his homeland, severing ties with his family and pledging allegiance to the cleric who authorities in Ankara blame for last month's failed coup. Enes Kanter, who plays in the NBA for Oklahoma City Thunder, is a long-time supporter of Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, whose extradition President Tayyip Erdogan is seeking. On Monday pro-government Sabah newspaper and other Turkish media published a handwritten letter signed by Kanter's father, Mehmet, disowning a son he accused of having been "hypnotized" by the Gulen movement.

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