Enes Kanter is Turkey's most famous NBA player but his family was forced to disown him, he is not allowed into Turkey and he was even asked to change his name, so his family did not have to suffer on-going reprisals.Kanter took part in Affinity Intercultural Foundation's panel conversation discussing sport and the power of social media to create positive social changeHis crime? Calling out human rights abuses.
This week, as the UN's International Day of Sport for Development and Peace was marked, Kanter joined two other internationally known athletes who are using their platforms to give voice to those who are not often heard. "It's way bigger than basketball, way bigger than soccer, way bigger than anything we are playing right now because it affects millions of people.
Kanter's father was dismissed from his university professorship, his sister has been unemployed since graduating from medical school six years ago and his brother — also a basketballer — has struggled to find a team "because he carries the same last name", according to Kanter. "I remember going to practice that day, it was one of the toughest days … but the Turkish government didn't believe that, they sent police to my house in Turkey and they raided the whole house to see if I was still in contact with my family or not."
Not much of a family has he?
I'm confused - according to your 5th paragraph, Fethullah Gulen plays for Portland. Is that right?
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