Enes Freedom, as Kanter is called Since he became a US citizen in November 2021, he played his last NBA game on February 8 of last year, but has remained in the spotlight for non-sports reasons, most of them related to political statements. Now, the 2.08-meter, 30-year-old pvot is back in the news and it is surprising, because according to ‘The Turkish Minute’, The Turkish government has offered a $500,000 reward to anyone who provides information that helps capture him..
years ago the player is treated as a terrorist by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After the 2016 coup attemptFreedom was considered one of the driverssince he is a follower of the cleric Fethullah Glen, one of the leaders of the revolt. Several members of the pvot’s family, including his father, have been imprisoned and he described Erdogan as “the Hitler of the 21st century” and often calls him a “dictator” and “maniac”..
The player saw how his passport was withdrawn in 2017 and two years later the Turkish government made an international petition for his arrest as he was considered a terrorist. That same year, Kanter refused to travel to London to play a game with the Knicks, as he was convinced that he was going to try to kill him in an attack or by poisoning him..
Involved in political causes
Through 11 seasons, Freedom has played in 748 NBA games between the Jazz, the Thunder, the Knicks, the Blazers and the Celtics.. Already as a player, he showed his involvement in political causes and not always related to his Turkey. He harshly criticized Nike and LeBron James for having relations with Chinasince he considers that human rights are violated there, and due to his lukewarmness regarding the repression that took place in Hong Kong after the demonstrations to demand the withdrawal of the extradition bill to China, he asked that the International Olympic Committee not hold The 2022 Winter Games in Beijing…
The pivot has his residence in Washington and lives protected by the police and the FBI. His chances of playing in the NBA again are remote and he is convinced that it is due to a veto due to his criticism since he is an uncomfortable player for the League.
