During the first game of the Trail Blazers' playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday at the Moda Center, a social media kerfuffle occurred when a Portland fan was shown on screen with a sign calling center Enes Kanter a "rim terrorist."
The sign—which was designed to resemble a wanted poster and also referred to Kanter as "Enes the Menace"—shocked several Twitter users, as the center's outspoken opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has gotten Kanter labeled a terrorist by the Turkish government. Kanter is unable to travel internationally for fear of being arrested or killed.
Several people wondered how the sign made it into the arena. Others decried it as Islamophobic. The Moda Center itself confirmed on Twitter that the sign was confiscated, calling it "unacceptable."
One person who wasn't upset about the sign? Enes Kanter.
"Take that @RTErdogan," Kanter tweeted, retweeting an image of the sign and tagging Erdogan's Twitter account.
Take that @RTErdogan
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) April 15, 2019
I told you.
“Only thing I terrorize is the basketball rim.”
Thanks for the support #BlazersNation 🙏 pic.twitter.com/yK5XqNDxtb
It appears the Blazer fan may have been trying to support Kanter by using his own words. In an interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in February, shortly after he signed with the Blazers, Kanter discussed his status as a political exile with host Trevor Noah.
"I have a platform, and I'm trying to use my platform for those who don't have a voice," Kanter told Noah, adding, "The only thing I terrorize is the basketball rim."
Related: Watch the Blazer' Newest Player, Enes Kanter, Talk About Living in Political Exile on The Daily Show.
Kanter, who had a spectacular game Sunday, indicated after the buzzer that he liked the sign's wordplay. "Thanks for the support #BlazersNation," Kanter tweeted.
Representatives from Moda Center did not respond to requests for further comment.