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CNN
Enes Kanter will now be Enes Kanter Freedom — the Boston Celtics player just announced he’s legally changing his name as he’s sworn in as a U.S. citizen.
The 29-year-old hooper is set to officially become an American after passing his citizenship test earlier this month … a journey that’s been more than half a decade in the making.
Enes will be adding “Freedom” to his name as he becomes an American … moving Kanter to his middle name. He says the new last name will appear on his jersey starting Tuesday night.
Remember, Kanter told us back in 2019 he was considering taking an American name once he became a citizen … and what’s better than Freedom?!
8/23/2019
TMZSports.com
“Dream came true,” Kanter told CNN on Monday. “It’s been 6 years that I’ve been trying to become an American citizen. finally, I can call somewhere home.”
Kanter has been outspoken against the government in his home country of Turkey … specifically president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he’s referred to as the “Hitler of our generation.”
As a result, Kanter was labeled a terrorist in Turkey — his passport was revoked and there was a warrant out for his arrest.
Now that he’ll be an American, Kanter can start fresh.
“Today is probably the biggest day of my life.”
He added … “To me, America gave me everything. America gave me home, gave me family. My teammates became my brothers like my real family. This means so much to me.”
Kanter has most recently criticized China’s treatment of the Uyghur community … calling on LeBron James and Nike to take a stand against the country’s internment camps.
As for the name change, Kanter says “freedom is the greatest thing a human being can have. That’s why I wanted to make that word a part of me and carry it everywhere I go.”