Enes Kanter Freedom

Enes Kanter Freedom is a former NBA center, human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and New York Times bestselling author recognized for his advocacy in sports and global human rights. Selected as the third overall pick in the NBA draft by Utah Jazz, Kanter Freedom primarily played the center position. He played 11 seasons across six teams, including Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics. Kanter Freedom set a Boston Celtics single-game record with 30 rebounds and averaged 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds over 748 regular-season games.

Kanter Freedom's activism began when he publicly criticized human rights abuses by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In response, Turkey canceled his passport, placed his name on an Interpol list, banned communication with his family, imprisoned and tortured his father, and placed a $500,000 bounty on his head. During a visit to Indonesia, Kanter Freedom narrowly escaped a government attempt to kidnap him and return him to Turkey, and he was later detained at Bucharest airport by Romanian authorities. Despite these threats, Kanter Freedom continued his advocacy on a global scale.

He used his NBA platform to raise awareness of human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party, highlighting issues such as the Uyghur genocide, the occupation of Tibet, and forced labor in Chinese factories. Kanter Freedom was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Houston Rockets, who waived him shortly after, and the league has been hesitant to sign him due to his outspoken criticism of China, resulting in an estimated financial loss of $50 million. After his Turkish citizenship was revoked, Kanter Freedom became a U.S. citizen and changed his last name, continuing his advocacy for the oppressed in countries including Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and throughout the Middle East.

Kanter Freedom has received several honors for his activism, including the Geneva Summit Courage Award, the Lantos Human Rights Prize, the Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent, and the Magnitsky Outstanding Human Rights Activist Award. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a member of Norway's parliament, and the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution awarded him the Gold Good Citizenship Medal.

In addition to his basketball career, Kanter Freedom is the author of "In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World." He has spoken at major forums such as the IRF Summit in Washington, D.C., and has testified before Congress on human rights issues. Kanter Freedom remains a prominent voice in sports, human rights, and advocacy.