Enes Kanter Freedom Wanted ‘Terrorist’ In Turkey, $500k Bounty

Enes Kanter Freedom — an outspoken critic of human rights violations worldwide — has been declared one of Turkey’s most wanted terrorists … with the government issuing a $530K bounty for information leading to the arrest of the former NBA player.

According to the Turkish Minute, Turkey’s Interior Ministry issued its “Terrorist Wanted List”, which included the 30-year-old longtime NBA player, accused of being a member of a terrorist organization.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the gov. also put up a reward of 10 million Turkish liras — equivalent to around $532K U.S. dollars — for anyone who puts Kanter behind bars.

“I’m not the only one. There are so many innocent journalists, academics, athletes, activists and educators on this list. Now their lives are in danger because of the Turkish government,” Enes told TM.

Freedom hasn’t been shy when criticizing Erdogan over the years, previously referring to the leader as a “dictator” and the “Hitler of our century.”

“Because of my platform, whenever I say something, it goes everywhere, and the Turkish government hates that,” Freedom told the NY Post this week. “They’re really sick of it, and they said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and doing whatever they can to shut me up.”

Kanter, who legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom, spent 13 seasons in the NBA … playing for the Jazz, Thunder, Knicks, Trailblazers, and, most recently, the Boston Celtics in 2021-22. He became a U.S. citizen in 2021.

Despite the bounty recently being issued, the Turkish government has been trying to silence Kanter for years. Now, however, Enes is concerned for his safety, believing he will now be the target of not just the government.

“That makes it so dangerous,” Kanter said to the Post.

“Before the bounty, Turkish intelligence was after the people on the list, but now everyone is after them because they want the money.”