By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
As he becomes a U.S. citizen on Monday, Enes Kanter is legally changing his name to Enes Kanter Freedom, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Kanter, 29, was considering a name change since applying for U.S. citizenship. He moved from native Turkey to the United States in 2009. A couple of years later, he was selected with the third overall pick of the 2011 NBA draft. As a young player of Fenerbahce, he had logged four appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague early in the 2008-09 Regular Season.
In recent years, he has been vocal about social injustice and corrupt government regimes. His well-documented views on current Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan are considered as the starting point. The situation also led to his Turkish passport being canceled, thus reinforcing his plans to become a U.S. citizen.
In the top end of the 2021-22 season, his 11th in the NBA, he has been limited to 11.3 minutes per contest appearing in nine of the first twenty games. The experienced big man has registered 4.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game after returning to the Boston Celtics for a second stint.
He was traded from the Jazz to the Oklahoma City Thunder midway through the 2015-16 season. Another trade sent him to the New York Knicks in 2017. From there, he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019 and was traded back to the Oregon organization one year after inking a two-year contract with the Celtics.
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