Big Week for NBA Star: U.S. Citizenship and a Fitting Name Change

In a sports world where stars often do everything wrong, Enes Kanter continues to do everything right.

The outspoken Boston Celtics star will legally change his name to “Enes Kanter Freedom,” according to reports.

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is legally changing his name to Enes Kanter Freedom, @TheAthletic @Stadium learned. Kanter will be his middle name, Freedom is his new last name. He becomes a U.S. citizen on Monday.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 28, 2021

While other NBA players wore cliché and divisive social justice messages during the tumultuous summer of 2020, Kanter chose the word “Freedom” on the back of his jersey.

Kanter, raised in Turkey, a country whose rogue leadership he’s criticized — leading to warrants for his arrest and revocation of his passport — is making the move to celebrate becoming a U.S. citizen Monday afternoon.

Kanter has continually been intrepid this fall, speaking out about the NBA and Nike’s nefarious relationships with Communist China, among much else.

Boston Celtics’ @EnesKanter calls on others to stand up against China’s ‘brutal dictatorship’: ‘I’m standing up for human rights. This is bigger than myself. This is bigger than basketball.’ pic.twitter.com/LYvns5pzWu

— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) November 24, 2021

Related: Enes Kanter Speaks Out About Nike

He has criticized several important figures around the league, most notably the ignorant pro-China stooge LeBron James for his cowardice on matters relating to China.

Money over Morals for the “King” 👑

Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice

They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss 🇨🇳 says so

Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research? pic.twitter.com/YUA8rGYeoZ

— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) November 18, 2021

Kanter also supports Taiwan, advocates for Tibetan independence, criticizes Chinese genocidal treatment of the Uyghurs, and rightly argues for a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Kanter is not the first NBA player to change his name. Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace a decade ago, and Lloyd Bernard Free changed his name to World B. Free in 1981. But none of that involved bravery, depth, or any risk.