Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter moved to California from Turkey in 2009 for prep school, and after a decade of residency, the 27-year-old is working on becoming an American citizen.
“I’m actually becoming a U.S. citizen in 2 years. I’m actually thinking about adding an American name. I’m still thinking about it. I don’t know yet,” Kanter told TMZ.
The Switzerland-born athlete grew up in Turkey before coming to the United States and is a political activist. Kanter’s outspokenness against Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has to lead to the country threatening him with jail time. In January, Turkey made a request for Kanter’s extradition. In 2017, the country cancelled Kanter’s passport while he was abroad, leaving him temporarily stranded in Romania.
