Watch: Enes Kanter Thanks Knicks For Waiving Him After Blazers Win over Thunder

Kanter was waived by the Knicks on Feb. 7 after two seasons in New York.

Enes Kanter reflected on his tumultuous 2018-19 on Tuesday night, thanking the Knicks for waiving him while speaking to the media after the Blazers' series-clinching win over the Thunder. 

The Turkish center was waived by New York on Feb. 7 following the NBA trade deadline. He then signed with Portland on Feb. 13, averaging 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in the postseason. 

"First I would like to definitely thank the Knicks for waiving me," Kanter said postgame. "I want to appreciate all the teams that didn't pick me. I tried to actually sign with a lot of teams that weren't interested, and then, you know, I was glad Dame and [Blazers general manager Neil Olshey] texted me, and I picked Portland."

Blazers' Enes Kanter after advancing to second round: "First, I would definitely like to thank the Knicks for waiving me." pic.twitter.com/U7z68BAqsf

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 24, 2019

Kanter earned revenge on his former team in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. He spent three seasons with Oklahoma City from 2014-17 before being traded to the Knicks in exchange for Carmelo Anthony in September 2017. 

Portland will face either Denver or San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals after Damian Lillard's game-winner on Tuesday. The Blazers have not reached the conference finals since 2000.