| Enes Kanter Quick Info |
|---|
| Height | 6 ft 11 in |
| Weight | 111 kg |
| Date of Birth | May 20, 1992 |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Enes Kanter is indisputably the most popular Turkish import in the NBA. His tremendous work ethic and the all-around game has made him a very effective player for his teams. He also does a lot of charity and activism work, which has made him a role model for young fans. His courageous stand against the human rights violation in his native country has made him a hero for the Turkish expats and moderates.
Born Name
Enes Kanter
Nick Name
Enes
Sun Sign
Taurus
Born Place
Zürich, Switzerland
Residence
New York City, New York, United States
Nationality
Education
Enes Kanter went to the Stoneridge Preparatory School in Simi Valley, California.
In November 2009, he had reached a verbal agreement to join the University of Washington. However, in April 2010, he signed a letter of intent to join the University of Kentucky to play college basketball.
However, he couldn’t join any of the 2 colleges as NCAA declared him ineligible to play college basketball because he had received approximately $33,000 from Fenerbahçe in benefits, which was well beyond the acceptable limit.
Occupation
Professional Basketball Player
Family
- Father – Mehmet Kanter (Professor of histology at Trakya University)
- Mother – Gulsum Kanter
- Siblings – Kerem Kanter (Younger Brother) (Basketball Player), Ahmad Kanter (Brother), Betul Kanter (Brother)
Manager
Enes Kanter is represented by Maestro Corporate Group, which is headed by founder Mevlüt “Hilmi” Çınar.
Position
Center
Shirt Number
0 – Utah Jazz
11 – Oklahoma City Thunder
00 – New York Knicks
Build
Athletic
Height
6 ft 11 in or 211 cm
Weight
111 kg or 244.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Enes Kanter has dated –
Dana Brooke (2018-Present) – Reportedly, Enes is dating wrestler Dana Brooke as she has shared a couple of their pictures on her Instagram account.Race / Ethnicity
Middle Eastern
Enes has Turkish ancestry.
Hair Color
Black (Natural)
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Tall Stature
- Beard and mustache
Best Known For
- Playing professional basketball for the popular American franchises including Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunders, and New York Knicks
- Being a controversial figure in his native country as his close relationship with the exiled politician and activist, Fethullah Gülen, and his support for the Gülen movement has made him a target of hate for hardliners and Recep Erdogan supporters
First Basketball Match
In December 2011, he made his professional NBA debut with Utah Jazz in their match against Los Angeles Lakers. He created history by becoming the first Jazz rookie to have recorded 11 rebounds in the debut match.
First TV Show
In 2018, Enes Kanter made his first TV show appearance as himself on the talk show, The Michael Kay Show.
Personal Trainer
Enes Kanter regularly trains under the guidance of Mike Atkinson, the professional performance coach based in New York City. Atkinson has devised a workout routine that focuses solely on the functional aspect of training. He gets him to do various movements in the gym that he would be performing on the basketball court. To make these workouts more challenging and dynamic, he has used accessories such as resistance bands.
Enes Kanter Favorite Things
Enes Kanter Facts
Kanter started his basketball career by playing for the Fenerbahçe youth squad. He played in the team for about two years before he was given an opportunity to join the senior team in 2008.Early in his career, he was offered professional contracts by Fenerbahçe and the Greek League basketball team Olympiacos but he turned such offers down as he wanted to play high school and college basketball in the United States.In 2009, Enes moved to the United States and started his high school career basketball with Stoneridge Preparatory School. He played basketball for the team for 2009-10 season.At the end of his high school career, he was rated as a 5-star prospect by Rivals.com and Scout.com.In 2011, he was picked by Utah Jazz as the third overall pick in the NBA Draft. He was one of the best regards prospects at the draft.In December 2011, Enes inked rookie scale contract with Jazz. The deal was delayed due to the NBA lockout which commenced in July and continued for about 161 days.In his rookie season, he played all the regular games for Jazz, which made him the 10th rookie to have achieved the distinction. In the season, he averaged 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds.Towards the end of 2013-14 season, he was forced to sit out of 10 games as he recovered from a dislocated shoulder.In February 2015, Kanter moved to Oklahoma City Thunder in a 3-way deal, which also involved Detroit Pistons apart from Thunder and Jazz.At the end of 2014-15 season, he became a restricted free agent and received a $70 million for a 4-year contract from Portland Trail Blazers. However, Thunder used their right of first refusal and matched Blazers offer to keep him with the franchise.In January 2017, he fractured his forearm after he punched a chair on the Thunder’s bench during a match against Dallas Mavericks.In September 2017, Thunder decided to trade him to New York Knicks with Carmelo Anthony moving in the opposite direction. Thunder also included Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick in the trade.After the failed 2016 coup attempt, Enes unleashed a scathing attack on Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Twitter, accusing him of engineering a fake coup to cement his power and to eliminate his rivals and dissenters under the cover of coup investigation.His father and family had to publicly disown him for his political views and his staunch support of Fethullah Gülen, who was accused of planning coupe by Erdogan. His father even asked him to change his surname.Despite taking a public stand against Kanter, his father was still dismissed from his position in the university as government decree was issued against him.In May 2017, his passport was canceled by the Turkish authorities because of which he was temporarily stranded in Romania before he was given permission to fly to London. He would later reveal that while stuck in Romania, he feared that he would be deported to Turkey, where he could face severe torture and worse.About 10 days after cancellation of his passport, the Turkish authorities issued an arrest warrant against him as they claimed that he was a member of a terrorist organization. In December, it was revealed that Turkish prosecutors were seeking a prison sentence of over 4 years against Kanter.In November 2021, Enes officially became a United States citizen. After earning citizenship, he changed his name to “Enes Kanter Freedom”.Visit his official website @ eneskanter11.com.Follow Enes Kanter on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.Featured Image by Enes Kanter / Instagram
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