Gülenist NBA player Enes Kanter changing name to Enes Freedom
NBA player Enes Kanter, a staunch supporter of Fethullah Gülen, is set to change his name to Enes Kanter Freedom. His move was ridiculed on social media since Gülenists are known for committing various human rights abuses in Turkey.
Duvar English
Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is changing his last name to Freedom, The Athletic reported on Nov. 28.
He is set to become a U.S. citizen on Nov. 29 and will legally become Enes Kanter Freedom, per the report.
Kanter, 29, is a staunch supporter of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, whose movement is behind numerous human rights violations in Turkey.
A former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Gülen movement is also behind numerous judicial plots in Turkey carried out to infiltrate state institutions.
Ties between the AKP and Gülenists were severed following a 2013 graft probe launched by prosecutors close to the movement.
The Gülen movement is legally called the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group widely believed to have orchestrated the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt that led to the deaths of over 250 people.
Kanter was indicted in Turkey in 2018 on charges of belonging to an "armed terrorist group." He has been openly expressing his love for Gülen and even called him his "father." His parents publicly disowned him through a Turkish publication back in 2016, soon after the coup attempt.
Turkey revoked Kanter's passport in 2017 and he has since been unable to travel abroad.
Kanter has played sparingly for the Celtics this season. In nine games, he's averaging 4.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 11.2 minutes.
He is in his 11th season in the NBA and has played for five teams. In 722 games (258 starts), Kanter has averages of 11.4 points and 7.9 rebounds.