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Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter has been in the news a lot lately. Not to talk about NBA basketball but social injustice in the world, particularly in China and his native Turkey. The Turkish player recently passed the United States Citizenship test a few days ago and will become a citizen on Monday. As reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania, Kanter has now made the drastic move of changing his last name to 'Freedom'.
Enes Kanter will now be known as Enes Kanter Freedom, with 'Kanter' becoming his middle name. Most sports jerseys, including the NBA, have a player's last name displayed along with their number. Similar to former NBA player Ron Artest, who changed his name to Metta World Peace, Kanter changing his name will now feature the word 'Freedom' on the back of his jersey for everyone in the world to see.
During the 2020 NBA bubble in Orlando, he chose to write the word 'Freedom' on his back as several other athletes did so. Many players also chose to write 'Justice', 'Vote', 'Black Lives Matter', and several other social messages on their jerseys.
Enes Kanter has been quite vocal about social justice reform and corruption in China and Turkey
Enes Kanter has appeared on several news shows and interviews to discuss the injustices suffered by people around the world. He was particularly vocal about the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey and how his regime is about social injustice and corruption. Kanter's Turkish passport was revoked in 2017 and his father was briefly arrested by the Turkish government as well.
Enes Kanter has been outspoken about the slave labor that huge multinational corporations like Nike use to make their shoes and products. He publicly criticized LeBron James for being an ambassador for the company and has used LeBron's likeness on his sneakers multiple times.
Kanter has also spoken about the injustice suffered by the Uyghur Muslim community in China, citing forced labor inside internment camps. He appeared on notable news outlets and agencies such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The Hill, and many more, demanding that the International Olympic Committee boycott the Winter Olympics in Beijing following the brief disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.
Enes Kanter has also publicly attacked Michael Jordan and LeBron James on the news, suggesting they haven't done anything to help their communities. Kanter's gimmicks and news appearances have turned into a political debate as he regularly accuses athletes of something that is not under their control. Many people and players, such as James himself, refuse to acknowledge Kanter's rants.
Enes Kanter will play for the Boston Celtics in their next game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
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