Enes Kanter Freedom (born Enes Kanter; May 20, 1992) is a Turkish former professional basketball player and human rights activist. He played the center position. He played parts of eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Kanter has been an outspoken critic of Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling him the "Hitler of our century" after the failed 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt.[1]
On May 26, 2017, the Turkish government cancelled Kanter's passport and issued a warrant for his arrest because of Kanter's membership with the Hizmet movement.[2] On January 19, 2023, the Turkish government would put Kanter on a terrorist list and put a $500,600 bounty on him.[3] Kanter responded by saying that "The only thing I terrorize is the basketball rim."[4]
On November 29, 2021, Kanter would legally change his name to Enes Kanter Freedom. He also became an American citizen on the same day.[5]
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Media related to Enes Kanter at Wikimedia Commons