Share
30th November 2021
03:19pm GMT
He added: "That's why I wanted to make that word a part of me, and carry it wherever I go."
During the ceremony, the judge addressed him by his new name, with Kanter Freedom himself using it to swear his oath of allegiance to the United States.He also waved a miniature flag in the air after the oath, saying: "Freedom - that's it" while signing his naturalisation document.
https://twitter.com/EnesFreedom/status/1465444269687255053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1465444269687255053%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2F59439797Since arriving in the US in 2009, the third pick in the 2011 NBA draft has heavily criticised his native Turkey and, more recently, China.
The former Portland Trailblazer man had his name blocked on Chinese social media sites, while streams of Celtics games were reportedly cancelled after he referred to President Xi Jinping as a "brutal dictator".
"My message for the Chinese government is free Tibet," he told his social media followers. "Tibet belongs to Tibetans."
The name 'Enes Kanter Freedom' will be on the player's shirt when the Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers later this week.
Kanter Freedom is not the first NBA player to legally change his name, with a number of other stars having changed theirs over the years.
World B. Free (Lloyd B. Free) in 1981 as it was his high school nickname.
Hakeem Olajuwon (Akeem Olajuwon) in 1991 because he wanted to 'correct, not change' spelling of his name.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson) in 1993 for religious reasons.
Jeff Ayres (Jeff Pendergraph) in 2013 to change from his stepfather's surname to biological father's surname.
Explore more on these topics:
