OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – On Monday, former Oklahoma City Thunder center, Enes Kanter, became a United States citizen. To celebrate, he legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom.
The NBA star posted a video on his social media accounts of him getting sworn in, with the caption: “I am proud to be an American. Greatest nation in the world. The Land of the free, and home of the brave.”
Freedom, who was raised in Turkey, has experienced many issues with his home country over the years, including his family being arrested by the Turkish government and even claiming that he would not be safe if he decided to return home. The Turkish government, even going so far as to cancel his passport, preventing him from intercontinental travel.
Despite the plethora of issues with his home country and risk of retribution for both him and his family, Freedom has remained outspoken about the the country’s leadership. While he was detained at an airport in Romania, Freedom said that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is a, “bad, bad, man. He’s a dictator and he’s the Hitler of our century.”
Freedom played for the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2014-2017. He currently plays for the Boston Celtics.