By Marlee Patnaude, Fox News
Enes Kanter is an American citizen of Armenian descent. He was born in the US on May 16, 1993.
He moved to the US as a child. His parents were both born in Germany. Kanter was known as “Enes Kanter Freedom” before changing his name to Enes Kanter, which translates to “Everyone is Enes Kanter.” He wanted his name to represent a person’s upliftment in life.
He has been fighting for his Armenian heritage, much of it that is erased from history books. The US for the past five years, has been accused of genocide and a White House petition to designate the Armenian genocide is up to 500,000 signatures.
Recently, he has been in the headlines for his departure from the New York Knicks. He is suing the team for causing him financial losses because of alleged racial and ethnic discrimination. They say they are not guilty of that. He wants a severance package so he can enter the free market and prove that minorities aren’t perceived as a marketable commodity.
His fight for his own history is not a battle in distant time or history textbooks. His fight is something familiar to many others who are persecuted by the same oppressive forces that have since vanished.
His experience and life has been the most incredibly different to his parents, wife and sons. He has emerged as a symbol of life and of the strength that human beings can demonstrate in the face of adversity. He is a champion of that.
A country that is now becoming popularly know as an arms producer, has given him immense power to show that there is a future and the future can include non-white people.
Enes Kanter may be playing for the Magic, but he is fighting for something bigger than basketball, his country. With his allegiance he is fighting for the legacy he and his parents inherited, his culture and humanity.