Enes Kanter: They Put a $500,000 BOUNTY on My Head, For Speaking the Truth | DSH #1565

Summary

Podcast Summary: Digital Social Hour – Enes Kanter: They Put a $500,000 BOUNTY on My Head, For Speaking the Truth | DSH #1565

Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Enes Kanter Freedom
Date: October 12, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this powerful and emotionally charged episode, host Sean Kelly sits down with Enes Kanter Freedom – NBA player, activist, and outspoken critic of global human rights abuses. They cover Enes's journey from a turbulent childhood in Turkey to speaking out against governments, the NBA, and global corporations for their alleged complicity in human rights violations. Enes opens up about the personal and professional consequences of his activism, including estrangement from family, loss of his NBA career, and a $500,000 bounty placed on his head by the Turkish government. The discussion highlights the importance of empathy, free speech, and building bridges between communities.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Human Rights Over Politics

• Enes emphasizes that his activism isn't about politics, but universal human rights.
  • “My whole life...was not politics. It was pure human rights. I think that's the one message that is above politics.” (01:00)
• He acknowledges the tragedy and loss on both sides of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and calls for empathy and mutual understanding.
  • “People behind the table are the ones giving the orders, but the innocent people on the streets are the ones that gets hurt. Those kids on both sides...they have nothing to do with this war, but they're the ones that get hurt. It breaks my heart, man.” (00:00), repeated at (07:00)

2. Early Life Lessons and Rejecting Hate

• Enes recounts growing up in Turkey surrounded by government-fueled anti-Western sentiment and being pressured to hate America and Christians.
  • “If you're a politician in Turkey and you want to be elected again, you do a couple things. You attack America, you attack Christian people, you attack the West.” (02:15)
  • Shares a pivotal lesson from his mother: “Do not hate anyone before you meet him.” (02:57)
• His first experiences in America, where teammates showed him respect for his faith, challenged his ingrained prejudices.
  • “That two teammates...put a little question mark in my head. I started to question everything. I thought they were evil...They didn't try to convert me...So I gotta be open minded from now on.” (04:42)

3. Building Bridges & The Media’s Role

• The conversation turns to social media and misinformation, particularly in the context of global conflicts and the recent (fictionalized) incident involving Charlie Kirk.
  • “With AI and social media...if I'm a kid, if I go on TikTok, I'm brainwashed...You don't know what to trust or what to believe.” (07:50)
• Enes warns about the dangers of divisiveness in the media and the responsibilities of public figures:
  • “Athletes are like the educators...Millions of kids out there watching you and idolizing you. We gotta just put the right things out there.” (01:49), reemphasized at (11:00) about media and division.

4. Free Speech, America’s Erosion, and Political Aspirations

• Enes draws parallels between growing censorship in America and repression in Turkey.
  • “This is America and we've got to do whatever we can to save America. We only have one America.” (10:30)
• Confirms intention to run for Congress to effect change at a governmental level.
  • “If you want to make some real changes, I'm talking about, like, in government level and actually, like, start taking actions...I need to be in Congress.” (11:26)

5. The NBA, China, and Corporate Complicity

• Enes details the business relationship between the NBA and China, indicating that league and player priorities are financially driven.
  • “More people watched NBA games in China than the American population last year.” (12:12)
  • Describes being ostracized after criticizing China’s human rights abuses:
    • “Once I talked about China, many of my teammates...said, ‘Have fun. This is your last year.’” (14:46)
• Explains that even iconic players fear speaking out to avoid endangering endorsements and careers.

6. Personal Costs of Activism

• Enes describes retaliation by the Turkish government: family harrassment, disownment, Interpol listing, and a $500,000 bounty.
  • “My dad was one of the biggest scientists in Turkey. First he got fired...My sister went to medical school for six years and she still cannot find a job...my family put out a statement saying, ‘We are disowning Enes.’” (18:35)
  • “They revoked my passport, they put my name on Interpol list...they put a bounty on my head.” (21:58)
  • Recounts FBI intervention in the U.S., living with a panic button while playing in Portland. (22:09)

7. The Isolation of Speaking Out

• Despite being released from the Celtics, not a single NBA player reached out in public:
  • “It was not even one single message after I got released. All of them unfollowed me on social media.” (32:08)
• Gives special credit to former teammate Steven Adams:
  • “Steven Adams...was the one dude that, like, since the day I met him, has my back no matter what, man.” (32:00)

8. Empathy, Influence, and Choosing Morality Over Money

• Kanter Freedom argues that most people, including fellow athletes, are too afraid of financial or career loss to speak out.
  • “If your mother, if your sister, if your daughter...was in those concentration camps getting tortured every day, and you have a basketball career in front of you...which one would you pick? To me, it was an easy pick. I just wish more people picked morals, values, and principles over money and business.” (36:09)
  • Criticizes stars and sponsors for prioritizing profit over justice: “They talk about Black Lives Matter, no Asian hate...but everybody knows about the sweatshops, the slave labels.” (38:11)

9. The Book & Final Message

• Enes introduces his new book, In the Name of Freedom, aiming to document his life, struggle, and a universal call for dialogue and empathy.
  • “I hope this book will expose so many companies, the hypocrite companies, and so many dictatorships out there. But it talks about why I am so thankful for America and why we shouldn't take our freedom for granted.” (41:00)
• Concludes with a plea for coexistence and bridge-building rather than walls or division.

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Highlighted Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On bridge-building:
  “We gotta do something to, like, start building bridges, not walls.” (00:34 and 07:35)
• Kanter’s childhood vow:
  “Do not hate anyone before you meet him.” (03:05)
• On NBA’s China ties:
  “More people watched NBA games in China than the American population last year.” (12:12)
• On the cost of activism:
  “They put a bounty on my head. Gets worse, you know, it does get worse, man.” (21:58)
• On his father’s trauma after prison:
  “He acts so weird. He watches the walls all day. And when we ask him what happened, he never talks about it.” (21:00)
• On the silence of teammates:
  “It was not even one single message after I got released. All of them unfollowed me on social media.” (32:08)
• On moral choice:
  “I just wish that, like, more people picked morals, values, and principles over money and business.” (36:45)
• Book’s purpose:
  “I hope this book will inspire not only millions of kids in the Middle East, but also the next generation in America so we don't take our freedom and democracy for granted.” (42:27)

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Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Childhood in Turkey, Promises of Tolerance: (02:15–05:32)
• Culture Shock & First Impressions of America: (03:59–05:32)
• View on Media, Social Media, and Programming Hate: (07:45–08:09)
• Reflections on America and Free Speech: (10:28–11:17)
• NBA & China, Speaking Out, Professional Backlash: (12:07–16:25)
• Turkish Government Retaliation, Family Persecution: (18:35–22:48)
• Living with the Threat of Violence and a Bounty: (21:58–22:49)
• Isolation in NBA, Shoutout to Steven Adams: (32:00–34:01)
• Empathy, Money vs. Morals: (36:02–37:08)
• Call for Big Athletes/Sponsors to Stand Up: (38:11–38:25)
• Book Announcement & Message to the Next Generation: (41:00–42:38)

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Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, Enes speaks with raw sincerity—balancing heartbreak with hope, conviction with humility, and never mincing words about the dangers of remaining silent in the face of injustice. Sean Kelly matches him with empathy and curiosity, steering the conversation into deep, sometimes uncomfortable truths about the cost of moral courage in a world dominated by business interests and political apathy.

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In Closing

Enes Kanter Freedom’s story is a stark reminder of the importance of empathy, moral conviction, and the need for solidarity in the face of repression—whether it comes from governments or global corporations. His message to listeners is clear: do not take freedom for granted, do not hate without understanding, and strive always to build bridges, not walls.

For more, check out Enes Kanter Freedom’s book In the Name of Freedom, available via Amazon.

Transcript

[A]

As a Muslim, I support my Palestinian brothers and sisters, but at the same time, there are thousands of innocent people are being killed on Israel's side as well. People get mad all the time, and I'm like, you know what? I care about the human rights aspect of it. People behind the table are the one that giving the orders, but the innocent people on the streets are the one that gets hurt. Those kids on both sides, those civilians, mothers, fathers, they have nothing to do with this war, but they're the one that gets hurt. It breaks my heart, man. We gotta do something to, like, start building bridges, not walls. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Okay, guys. Got ns Kentor freedom out here in Las Vegas. Glad I can make this happen, man. I know you've been going through a lot, so thanks for coming on.

[A]

No, thank you for having me, man. I appreciate it. Yeah.

[B]

You've had quite the last last few years, huh?

[A]

Yeah, it was a very difficult one. Very lonely road, I will say for sure. But I'm just trying to fight through it, man. Yeah. You know.

[B]

Any regrets looking back, or are you proud of where you.

[A]

I'm actually proud of it because the thing is, like, my whole life, anything that I've ever talked about was not politics. It was pure human rights. I think that's the one message that is above politics. And I really wanted everyone to support it, everyone to care about, cared about it. So, I mean, it cost me a lot, cost me, you know, my career, millions and tens of millions of dollars, and most importantly, my family.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

But I mean, I think what I'm doing is bigger than that. And I'm sure you're gonna say, like, well, what's bigger than your family? Right. I mean, I think the be the voice of innocent people. The be the voice of all those innocent people who don't have a voice. I think is definitely matters to me more than anything.

[B]

Yeah, well, respect, man. Because not a lot of professional athletes will speak out, you know, And I can understand why.

[A]

I mean, it's important because, like, the athletes are like, pretty much like, especially these days with all the, like, the social apps and like or whatever. Like, I think athletes are like the pretty much like the educators, like, teachers of our society. Right. Millions of kids out there watching you and idolizing you. So I feel like we just. We gotta just put the right things out there.

[B]

Absolutely. So I want to take it back to childhood, because you grew up in Turkey, right?

[A]

I did.

[B]

And you saw a lot growing up.

[A]

So, you know, growing up in Turkey, in Middle East, I would say it was a Very difficult childhood. Because if you're a politician in Turkey and if you want to be elected again, you do a couple things. You attack America, you attack Christian people, you attack the west, and you attack people. So. And the base is so uneducated, they're like, wow, look at our leader. He's standing tall against America, tall against Christians, tall against people. Lost wealth for him. So that was the case when I was growing up. I was nine years old, I went downstairs to play with my friends. And I remember, like, my friends that were not even teenagers, they were burning American flags, they were breaking crosses. And I'm like. I asked one of my best friend, I'm like, like, dude, what are you doing? Well, he said, we should hate America, we should hate the Christians, we should hate the West. They're evil. He gave me a flag to burn it. He gave me a flag. He gave me a lighter and he said, burn it. I look down, I'm like, this is not a right thing to do. I threw the flag down. I ran upstairs to my mom. I'm like, mom, my friends are telling me to hate America, hate the west, hate Christian people. What do I do? My mom said, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but do not hate anyone before you meet him. So that day, I give a big promise to my mom. I was like, mom, I promise I'm not going to hate anyone before I meet him.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So growing up, the environment, I mean, this doesn't happen in Turkey, but many countries in Middle east, in schools, front of classes, you have an American flag. And if you don't step on this flag, you're not allowed to attend the class. Holy crap. And also, like, what I say is people actually gets, like, very, like, shocked, shocked. But it's all over the Internet.

[B]

Wow. I didn't know that.

[A]

And if you don't step on those flags, you're really not allowed to attend the class and you will get bullied rest of the school year. Wow. So growing up in Turkey, it was very difficult. When I was 17 years old, my dad was like, enough is enough. You're going to America to get your education and play basketball. I even remember asking my dad. I was like, dad, you really want me to go to Devil's Nest? And he's like, go and see it yourself. So that was the first time I actually came here. And then I. How old were you? I was 17. Okay. So I was just like, didn't really know any better. I remember my first practice, high school practice. Um, I walked in the locker room. We had a really good practice. And after the practice, two of my teammate tried to have a conversation with me. They said, hey man, like, we know that you're Muslim. If you want we can take you to a mosque and we can go get some halal food. And I'm like, I turned around and left the locker room because I, I just didn't know what they were trying to do. You were shocked. And I remembered a promise. I came back, I was like, let's go. They were so respectful, man. They took me to a mosque. They even took their shoes off. And then they took me to go get some halal food. That two teammate was the first two people that put like a little question mark in my head. And I started to question everything. I'm like, well, I thought they were evil. They didn't try to convert me, they didn't try to be harassed, they didn't try to harass me or anything, you know. So with that two question mark in my head, I'm like, you know what, I gotta be open minded from now on.

[B]

Wow, that is crazy. Yeah, it's crazy. But that goes in every country. I feel like in America we're taught to hate certain countries, right. Certain leaders, they paint them as the villain.

[A]

Yeah. So like I said again, like, I'm like telling people like, just don't hate anyone, man, before you meet them. Like, I remember my first time meeting with a people, you know, I remember I had a, I had this friend, she invited me for a Shabbat dinner. As soon as she says Shabbat, I hang up the phones in the face and. And then I remember the promise. I called my friend, I'm like, listen man, I'm going to go to my friend's house who's. And she's like, are you crazy? You don't go to Shabbat dinner. They eat babies, they drink bullas. You're not going to be a good Muslim if you ever go. I was like, I got a promise. I gave a promise to my mom. So I went to her house. It was so amazing, man. They were treating me so well. And it was some like many things that like Islamic, like they're very similar. So some of the things that they do was like, I was very shocked actually. And when I got in my car after that Shabbat dinner, I started to get very emotional because there are millions of kids in Middle east growing up anti Semitic, anti West, anti American, anti Christian, just because of those hate speeches coming from those governments.

[B]

Wow. And you look at the war now. And you wonder, like, how much of that has been programmed from the start.

[A]

Right? Yeah. So that breaks my heart, man. I mean, we keep. We're talking about. So, like, as a Muslim, right, of course I support my Palestinian brothers and sisters, but at the same time, there are thousands of people, innocent people are, you know, being killed on Israel's side as well. Right. You know, this is what I see. And people get mad all the time, and I'm like, you know what I care about the human rights aspect of it. You know, people behind the table are the one that giving the orders, but the innocent people on the streets are the one that gets hurt. Those kids on both side, those civilians, mothers, fathers, they have nothing to do with this war. Right? But they're the one that, you know, gets hurt. And I'm sure, like, you've seen all those videos on both sides.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it breaks my heart, man. We gotta do something to, like, start building bridges, not walls.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, it's terrible. And these days with social media, you just scroll on your Twitter, you see all these graphic images, and, like, there's.

[A]

So much misinformation out there. Like, you don't know what to believe or not.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, AI is just exactly like, if. If I'm a kid, if I go on TikTok, I'm brainwashed. If I go on Twitter, I'm brainwashed. Like, because you don't know what to trust or what to believe or not. Right? You know, and the first thing you see, whatever is. Whatever is in your algorithm, that's what you're going to believe.

[B]

100%. Rest in peace. To Charlie Kirk. After what happened yesterday, I think the world will never be the same from that.

[A]

I mean, that video, man, was definitely one of the most horrific and disgusting I've ever seen in my life. Listen, that. That person actually met him back in, you know, Mar a Lago, and he said, well, finally, I see someone that's taller than me.

[B]

Yeah, he's tall.

[A]

Yeah, he's very tall. But like, before anything, like, you agree with him or you don't agree with him? Before anything, man, before his political views, he's a father, he is. He's a husband, he's a man of faith. And all he did was actually go to these college campuses and respectfully, with. With respect to debate college kids. You know, I mean, you agree with him or you don't agree with him, but, like, we don't. We don't have any kind of, like, political, you know, what do you call the Political crime, political hate. Yeah. In our society. We should not have any kind of that kind of hate in our society. Man. Like, like think about like this man has two kids, this man has a wife. Like think about how they are going to fail. But I mean I think his l. His legacy is going to go on.

[B]

It will.

[A]

Yeah. You know, a lot of people loved him, hated him, whatever. But like he, he did a lot of, lot of things in, in, in America.

[B]

You know, it felt like an attack on free speech. And you, you grew up in a country where you weren't allowed to have speech. So you've seen that side and how it can go.

[A]

It breaks my heart man, because like when I look at America right now, like when I was in Turkey, right. Obviously I had this like, like everybody was seeing like how horrible America is and how devil, whatever. But after I came to America I'm like wow. Like this is a country that stands with freedom and democracy.

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[B]

Go anywhere without it in human rights.

[A]

And free speech and freedom of religion. Right. And now like when I see for the last like, like three, four, whatever years, it just turned out to be like Turkey.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know that's crazy and it breaks my heart man because this is America and we gotta whatever we can to save America. I understand we have two sides, two different parties of different political views. But like people need to understand we only have one America and we gotta do whatever we can to come together and fight for this country. So what makes me sad is like you want to like get some kind of news, right? And you turn on the TV and you see like the one side is attacking the other side. Other side is attacking the other side. But like we gotta understand like we. There are a lot of kids out there watching us and idolizing us and now they are started to learn to hate the other side.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

So we just gotta somehow come together man and just. And just start like thinking about America, not just our side.

[B]

Yeah. On your Wikipedia says you want to run for Congress. Is that true? Still true?

[A]

It is. It is true. Because, I mean, act. You know, act. Being an activist is good. And I think, like, I do make a lot of, like, I believe, impacts and stuff, but I think if you want to make some real changes, I'm talking about, like, in government level and actually, like, start taking actions. I feel like I. I need to be in. In Congress. I think it's a little too early right now. Like, a lot of things that I'm working on, on and off. I mean, off the court. On the court is not really the case anymore, but Obviously you're still 33.

[B]

You can still play.

[A]

I'm young man. I'm in good shape. I'm healthy. But unfortunately, some of the things that will happen, I'm sure the. Whoever's watching is know what's going on.

[B]

But you think that'll be a permanent thing, or do you think they'll change their stance? The NBA?

[A]

I'll tell you this. More people watch America, More people watch NBA games in China than American population last year. Wow. So, like, this is what was happening. Like, I played in so many different teams. I played with some amazing players. Like, I'm talking about, like. Like hall of Famers, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like. Like few months before the season ended. I remember, like, we're sitting down in a locker room, and not only one team. Like, many teams, like, the players were like, they were planning their China trip.

[B]

What?

[A]

And I'm like. I'm like, dude, like, you going to. You're literally going through, like, a really tough season. You have injuries, you have all that stuff. Like, wouldn't you want to go to, like, a vacation with your family and spend time with your kids and all that stuff? He's like, no, no, no, no, no. I got to make money first. Right? And then, boom, as soon as the season over, they were going to China. And I was confused. I was like, I was always trying to understand why. But then once, like, you know, my whole thing happened with China. I'm like, well, there you go. There it is.

[B]

So was China basically covering their flight and their hotel and everything and giving them money for sponsorship deals? Like, how did it work with China?

[A]

I mean, like, think about this. Billions of people in China, and actually the most. I think that NBA is the one, maybe the most watched sports in. In China. So think about, like, the. Like, the shoe deals, jersey sales, and all the kind of endorsements that they could get from. From China. Like, I got a question. India obviously have more people. Right? Right. Or, like, I'm like, Another country, I don't know, Indonesia. You don't see any player going to Indonesia and post it all over their Twitter or. Or India, right? Why China? It's all about money and business for them, you know? And I'm like, people, people, then go to India, then go to, I don't know, go. Go somewhere. Go Indonesia, Go somewhere. Another country. That population is like over 5, 6, whatever million. But, like, no, it's all about the money. I mean, I don't want to say I kind of understand it because, like, I think China is definitely committing the biggest genocide in our. In our time that we're seeing right now. Wow. We're talking about, like 2,3 million Uyghurs are in concentration camp. We're talking about Tibetans, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese people. It's so funny because when I started to talk about these, like, all this, like, problems are happening back in China, many of my teammates walk up to me in the locker room and they're like, listen, man, have fun. This is your last year.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

I'm never gonna play basketball ever again on this court. Your own teammates? My own teammates. And they're like, just, just, just. Just pray that we win a championship, because this is it for you.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And I was. I asked him, like, I thought we cared about free speech. You know what I mean? Like, this is. I'm not talking about politics. This is pure human rights. Um, I mean, February came, tried deadline. Boston traded me to Houston Rockets. And then they literally released me in like a less than few minutes.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I mean, our last game was against Brooklyn Nets. And after that game, I was playing for Boston Celtics. I remember every player was hugging me in a locker room. I'm talking about every player. It was like a goodbye. And I even got emotional. I'm like, dude, like, I can still come and, like, hang out with you guys. I can still come to, like, your games and we can still, like, chill and stuff, right? They're like, watch. Just watch what. What is about to happen. Like, literally the next day, tread deadline happened 10 minutes before the game. So 10 minutes before the tread deadline, I got traded and they released me. And I was like, well, now I know what they talking about.

[B]

That's crazy because you were still averaging some significant numbers at the time too.

[A]

And I remember, like, after. After the third game. So I started wearing these shoes. Yeah, after the game, after the third game. So I wore Michael Jordan shoes. Concord. I mean, it's one of the most famous ones. And we played against Charlotte and who owns Charlotte? Michael Jordan So I put on his shoes made with slave labor.

[B]

Yeah, he hated that.

[A]

And I remember I going, and he was watching it on stage when I walked up, like, the cameras were showing my shoes and his hands on his face. And after that game, my agent called me and he said, listen, man, I work for you. I don't work for the NBA. So I'm going to be honest with you. If you say another word, you're never going to be able to dribble a basketball on the score ever again. Wow, you are. Back then, I was like 30 years old. So you're 30 years old, you can't play another five, six years. That means, like, you're about to lose between 30, 40 million dollars. If you're ready for it, keep going. If not, then you better shut up. I said, okay. I hang up the phone, never talk to him again.

[B]

Wow, that is crazy. So you were willing to die on that hill?

[A]

I mean, it's important, man. Like, while we were comfortably playing basketball in America, making hundreds of millions of dollars and eating the most delicious food and sleeping in the most, you know, craziest apartments and buildings, whatever. But on the other side of the world, man, you know, people are losing their loved ones, losing their lives and losing their home. So we gotta do whatever we can to just be the voice of all those innocent people out there who don't have a voice.

[B]

Yeah, respect. Because like you mentioned with the China genocide, they. The media doesn't show the same coverage compared to the Israel war and even the Ukraine war.

[A]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

So it's very interesting what they choose to show.

[A]

Yeah, so. So that's why I feel like, you know, the media is not. Media is going to do what's good for the media. What's going to draw more attention or just viewers. Viewership. So I think that's why, like, people who have platform needs to come out. And crazy thing is, like, this is not politics at all. So I don't like. I really. I would love to challenge anyone. The things that I. Because I was getting criticized a lot. Oh, the athletes should stay away from politics. I'm like, okay, sure, but this is not politics. Me talking about free political prisoners, me talking about caring about human rights, me talking about, you know, free Tibet, free Uyghur, free Turkey or free whatever. Right. So this is not politics. This is human rights, man.

[B]

Absolutely. So thanks for giving people in Turkey a voice, honestly, because I don't see anyone speaking out from there. They must be so scared to even say anything.

[A]

Right. Turkey is a different. I Mean, Turkey is a tough cause because, like, it's a NATO ally and it's the second strongest military in NATO. When I started to like, there was a 2013, there was a corruption scandal happened in Turkey. President Erdogan called dictator. Erdogan and his family members were involved in it. And that was the first time I came out, came out and said something. But that really bothered Turkish government and they were sending me a lot of signals for me to just like, shut up. I mean, my dad was one of the biggest scientists in Turkey. First he got fired from his job. My sister went to medical school for six years and she still cannot find a job. My little brother, he wanted to be like his big brother and play basketball in NBA, but he was getting kicked out on every team because of the same last name.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So they were getting affected so much. Actually, the letter still out there on the Internet. They put a statement out there and they said, we are disowning Ennis. Holy crap. Listen, I remember going to a practice that day. It was the toughest day of my life, man. Like, think about all my teammates are just like looking at me and I'm like, you know. And then after that, Turkish government didn't believe that letter. They sent police to my house in Turkey and they raided the whole house and they took every electronics away, phones, computers, laptops, iPads, because they wanted to see if I am still in contact with my family or not. They couldn't find no evidence, but they still took my dad in jail for a while. Oh, my gosh.

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[B]

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[C]

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[B]

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[C]

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[A]

Because if you're someone who is not high profile, they will torture you in there. But if you're someone who's like, I have a very high profile, then they will give you chemicals to mess up with your brain. So when my dad got out, I asked him like, like how. I asked my brother, like, how is he doing? He's like, he doesn't act. He acts so weird. He watches the walls all day. And when we ask him what happened, he never talks about it. Holy crap. So, and then things got worse, man. They revoked my passport, they put my name on Interpol list. I am now allowed to. I'm now only allowed to go to 29 countries in the world. Holy crap. Because if I. If I go to a country and if that country has an extradition deal with Turkey, they have to send me back. Wow. And back in 2022, like the cherry on the top. 2022, they put a bounty on my head. Gets worse, you know, it does get worse, man. Like, I remember one, like I was having a hearing on D.C. all these like congressmen, senators, whatever, they were asking me questions and I'm like, I stopped them for a second. I'm like, I just have one question, man. How can a dictatorship like Turkey can put a bounty on American citizens head in US soil? They looked at each other and they said, we are sorry, but we have no answer for you. Wow. So like now I have to live with that.

[B]

And it's still active?

[A]

Oh, it is active. It's all over the Internet. Like whenever I talk like to people like this, like, they think like, it's. It's like because the conversation was so crazy. Whenever I had this conversation with my teammates, they're like, no, you exaggerate. I'm like going to go on Internet. Look, look at it. It's all over the Internet. Even like when I play for the port and shareblazers. I was staying at a. At a home house and the FBI came out and said, listen, man, this is too dangerous. You have to move to a hotel. So I moved to a hotel when I was on a rogue game. They came to my hotel room and they set up this thing called panic button. They said, whenever you feel uncomfortable, push that button. We'll be there in two, three minutes.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So like I had to live with a panic button literally right next to my bed. You know, sometimes like people can go out there and like say, hey, Enes is this and he had this kind of career, and they criticize and all that stuff. Right. But, like, these things are real, man.

[B]

Yeah. That must have been so tough on you mentally, to play a game while this is going on.

[A]

To be honest with you, man, basketball was my escape. So whenever I was on that basketball court, I literally, like, I just. I forgot about everything. Like, I haven't seen my family 11 years. They put my dad in jail. Like, some of the things that me and my family had to go through, I think that's, like, the toughest one. When you're fighting against the dictatorship, the hardest thing that you had to go through is what your family has to go through. So, like, you want to be able, like, my biggest dream was, or my mom and dad to come to one of my games, and I haven't talked to them for, like, I can't even remember. So, like, basketball was my escape. Whenever I was on that court, it was all me. It was all about me and my teammates. And whenever I step off the court and all this, like, crazy things started, and now I look back, I'm like, wow, they even take that away from me. You know, they took one thing that away from me. That was my escape. And now what do I do? No family. Lost tens of millions of dollars, lost a career, have no regrets. Let me just put tell you that first, because they like to like people. I'm sure, like, some trolls will watch this and gonna try to spin my words and say, well, see, he has regrets, right? I have zero regrets, man, whoever is watching this. But, like, it's not easy.

[B]

Yeah. I hope you reunite with your family one day.

[A]

I really do hope so, man. Because, like, whatever you're going through, I think your family is, like, the most important thing to you. And then you want to. When once you lose them, you understand how. How important. How important they are. Yeah.

[B]

So how does the presidential terms work in Turkey? Is it.

[A]

Is it. So there's no terms?

[B]

No, there's not.

[A]

He's been on. He's been in power in the last 21 years. Wow. So him, President Erdogan. Well, I call him dictator. Dictator Erdogan. And Kim Jong Un was the only president that have not lost an election in their life.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. Even Putin had to step down for one turn. And the Medvedev, I believe, went to, like, went up for one term, and then he came back. Obviously, Putin went up again. But President Duan and Kim Jong Un was the only president or whatever you call it to have not lost a single election in their whole Entire life, Chase. So.

[B]

So you got to wait until he ages out.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, he has. I mean, you know, these kind of bad people lives a very long life. I mean, people are saying. People are saying that, like, he has colon cancer, he had all that sickness, whatever. But I'm just praying to God, man, because, like, my family is only one. People know my story because I play in NBA. But there are, like, thousands of families out there in jail right now waiting for help. If you look at Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights foundation, these reports are saying that right now there are thousands of housewives are in jail. And I believe the last number was around 800 infants. I'm talking about kids are in jail right now with their mother.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

So. And if you don't believe me, man, I'm not talking about you or whoever's watching this. They can literally just go on Internet and. And find out all the, like, exact numbers.

[B]

That's terrible. So basketball was your escape and then they took it away from you?

[A]

Yeah. So right now, I've been trying to bring my family here, you know, in the United States for the last, like, eight, nine years.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

We failed every time. We had conversations with, like, you know, some people in the government. Yeah. Said, well, we have an American air base in Turkey. We can sneak him out of there. But that will start like a big, like, they will start like a.

[B]

It would piss off.

[A]

It will piss off the Turkish government, and we need that, you know, American airbase more than anything. Right.

[B]

Because you said they're the second biggest military in NATO, so we don't really want to be messing with them right now while there's so many other wars going on.

[A]

Right. Yeah. So.

[B]

Wow, dude, you're so. I'm honestly speechless. You're so great for taking on this mission, man.

[A]

It's important, man. I mean, it takes a lot. Listen, I'm. It's. It's so funny because, like, not many people know this, but, like, the Turkey is. Turkey is actually, like, I have a. Like, I know it's going to sound crazy because I have a bounty on my head, but, like, Turkey is not. Not the. Actually, like, the worst one. So when I started to talk about, like, China, Russia, Iran, I had a meeting with some people in the State Department. They told me to. Not to give their name, but so we sit down, we're having this conversation, right? And it was the craziest. It was the craziest meeting I've ever attended. So, like, I walked in and they had this, like, Whiteboard. They had all these countries, one by one, they looked at me that in their eye and said, listen, now we will teach you which country can use what kind of tactics to take you down.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I was like, go ahead. So it was like number one was China. They said, well, you're 30, whatever years old, you're single. From now on, you will be getting WhatsApp, Instagram, DMS and social media. DMS and calls and text message from one of the most beautiful girls on the verse. Do not answer any of them. They're Chinese spies.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I promise you. Probably like a month after that, my whole DMs and whatever has just been blown up till now like crazy. And I'm like, wow. Like, are they AI beautiful girls? Beautiful. But now it got into my head so bad, I don't know who to trust or not.

[B]

A lot of guys fall for that one.

[A]

Russia, right? They said, not in America, but in many countries. They will follow you and they will try to poison you. Jeez. Iran, they don't play with women or poison. They will literally just come and shoot you. They said North Korea, they will come and just like try to hack your phone somehow. Turkey, they will try to kidnap you, which they tried in Romania.

[B]

Wow. So they have people in Romania.

[A]

Well, so they work with these, like somebody's government out there. I actually have a video of it too. So they detained me in Romania. It was two police watching me. And one of them went to bathroom. Other one came up to me and said, listen, man, you got two hours. I know you, I know your story. Don't tell anyone. You got two hours. If you don't leave this country in two hours, they're gonna deport you back to Turkey. Whoa. So I was playing for Oklahoma City Thunder, right? So at that moment, I'm like, this is literally, like, this is serious. And it's my 25th birthday. So I pick up my phone, I called Senator Lankford. He was the senator. He is still the senator for the Oklahoma. So he was my good friend. I was playing for the Thunder. So he's like, senator, this is what's happening. Please help me. I got two hours. He said, I got you literally in 45 minutes. There was a gentleman came out, give my ticket. I don't even have a passport because my. They broke my passport. Here's your ticket, here's your passport, which is not even working. Get out of our country because you're going to cause some real damage. Wow. So I left and never came to. I mean, didn't Leave America until I became a American citizen. Yeah.

[B]

I'm scared of Romania. Look what they did to the tape. Others out there, man.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Scary.

[A]

So, you know, some of the countries. I mean, that's what some of the countries do. Like. Like, they bribe or they pretty much.

[B]

Like, you know, money talks in certain countries.

[A]

Exactly. Yeah. The easiest way to, like, explain it.

[B]

Yeah. Even in America, like, let's be honest, there's corruption here, too.

[A]

Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, like, if you look at. I keep talking about China, but, like, if you look at what's happening in America. Right. Wall street, academias, big tech, even some people from Congress or local Congresses, NBA, Hollywood, farmland, pretty much. They. Many of them is being run by the Chinese dictatorship.

[B]

Yeah. The farmland. I think China owns the second most farmland in America.

[A]

Right. Yeah.

[B]

Scary.

[A]

They even started to buy areas that are on our military.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So, yeah, that's information not many people knows about. Yeah.

[B]

And I know they control the water in certain states, the water system.

[A]

So it's because I think. I feel like, you know, China knows that they're not really strong enough to invade America from the outside, but they can. They can cause some real damage from the inside.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So.

[B]

Well, there's different types of war these days, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There's cyber war, there's information war. I feel like we're in an information war era right now.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

You can program thoughts into people all through social media now.

[A]

And it's getting scary, man. It's getting scary. And you know what? Like, at the end, like, innocent people on the streets are the one that gets hurt the most, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Civilians. It's a sick world.

[B]

Sick. Which teammate supported you the most throughout this process?

[A]

You know, I think I want to give a huge shout out to Steven Adams.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

That dude was just. Didn't care about anything.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Even, like, so when Boston Celtics, Right. Released me, all I cared about was just a one single text message. I'm like, man, please, like, one single text from any of my teammates. I'm not talking about only Boston Celtics. I'm talking about, like, throughout the whole NBA, one single text message. I'm like, hey, good luck with whatever comes your way next. Keep doing what you're doing. We love you. We support you. It was not even one single message after I got released. Wow. All of them followed me on social media.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Because they know that if they are seen with me or if I even go on a podcast or an interview and say, that guy or this guy supported me, now, they're gonna be in trouble, so. And I would never do it without their permission, you know, and throughout this whole thing, like, during my whole, like, being outspoken about China, so many of my teammates actually supported me. They said, listen, like, you know, we are not going to be able to, like, support you in front of cameras or social media, but, like, we support you because you don't talk about politics, you talk about human rights. Keep doing what you're doing. I said, okay. And they started, like, things were getting worse and worse every day. And then they were like, enough. But Stephen Adams, man, he was the one dude that, like, since the day I met him, he has my back no matter what, man. I mean, he was the only person that I'm still in, like. Like, in touch with a lot, even during the season.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

Games and stuff. And me and him used to always go against each other, and we were always like, debate, like, who's, like, the strongest guy in mba. And obviously he is. I mean, he is by far, like, one of the strongest dude that I've ever go against.

[B]

He's a wall.

[A]

My God. He'. But, yeah, I was just say Steven Adams.

[B]

I love to hear that.

[A]

I mean, obviously, like, I have some other, like, good, good friends. I mean, only person I call brother is Stephen Adams, but I have some other good friends. Like, Taco Fall was very, very kind person. Russell Westbrook, Jalen Brown, I think that three. That was nice. Was special.

[B]

Westbrook's in town tomorrow. Did you know that?

[A]

I didn't know that.

[B]

Yeah, he's hosting a poker tournament at the Win.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[B]

Tomorrow, maybe you could catch up with him.

[A]

He's. He's a good dude, too, man. Yeah.

[B]

Shout out to him.

[A]

He just. I feel bad for him. That's all I want to say.

[B]

He got so much hate from the media. You know what? Like, Ben Simmons whole career is destroyed, and I think largely because of the media.

[A]

You get into their head, man. Yeah.

[B]

He still has the same talent.

[A]

Oh, yeah, of course. I mean, it just. Listen, it's just Michael Fultz, I will say Ben Simmons, Westbrook, I mean, I feel like the oldest. I mean, they're very talented, obviously, players, but it's just all in their head, I guess.

[B]

Did that ever get to you? Because obviously the media was hating on you near the end of your career.

[A]

So, like, I was dealing with things that are, like, way beyond basketball. I was like. I was trying to stay alive.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I didn't really care about, like, these little. You had big problems. Horse, rider, whatever. I literally didn't care about what they said about me, you know? Yeah. I was trying to stay alive. Like, I can't remember. I think it was like, 2019 or 21. I can't really remember, but. So there was a lot of, like, threats, Death threats. I try to get a life insurance.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And this company said, sorry, sir, you have a very high percent chance of getting killed and not give you the full coverage. We can only give you the half coverage.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

So, like. And I'm like, these people are telling me that I could get killed anytime, Right? So, like, these sports writer men, like, they were. Obviously, all they do is just talk. Especially if you're playing for, like. Like someone like the Knicks or the Lakers or like the Golden State, like a very. Or the Boston. They're going to do everything they can to take you down, but I just didn't really care because I was trying to stay alive on the other side.

[B]

That is crazy. So, see, people don't know this side of the story. You were fighting for your life behind the scenes.

[A]

I mean, it's bigger than basketball. A lot of people call me crazy, and many or my teammates actually walk up to me, I'm like, dude, listen, we worry about you. Wow. Like, you're our brother. But I'm like, listen, I'm not only doing this for my family, you know, like, think about this. I think that the one thing that our world is missing is empathy. Like, we got to put ourselves in their shoes. Like, think about this. If your mother, if your sister, if your daughter. Right. Wasn't those concentration camps getting tortured every day, and you have a basketball crate front of you and you had to choose one to be the voice of your family or just make millions of dollars, which one would you pick? I mean, to me, it was an easy, easy pick, but I just wish that, like, more people picked morals, values, and principles over money and business. Yeah.

[B]

I would say most people choose money first in a capitalist society. Right. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

I think in their heads, they're scared of losing their job.

[A]

I mean, like, I call out so many people, man, but I'm like, let's. Let's look at NBA, right? Someone like. Someone like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, or. I'm just trying to think who else is out there that was like, superstar or Giannis Jokic, whatever, right? If they come out and say, listen, Nike, right? They talk about. In America. They talk about Black Lives Matter. No Asian hate, LGBTQ community, no Latino Community. But everybody knows about the sweatshops, the slave labels, right? So if these players that I just told you about came out and say, listen, enough of this slave labor. If LeBron James came out and said stop. If Kevin Dren, Steph Curry or whoever, Serena Williams, Tom Brady. I'm talking about some, like, really big names came out and said, you know what? Enough. You're preaching about things that are happening in America, and you are paying players millions of dollars to stand up for what's right. But what about what you're doing? You know, Jalen Brown talks about a little bit. He put, like, a couple tweets out there after what Nike did with Kyrie Irving or whatever. But I feel like the more players needs to come out and says, yeah.

[B]

Well, shout out to Kyrie, too. Because he spoke out and he got punished for it.

[A]

He's. He's special. He's definitely special. We message each other on. Each other on Instagram. He told me some. Some of the things that he's going through. I told him about some of things that I'm going through. But he's. He's a special player, and he's. There are few players that I could just say, there are more than athletes. You know, he's one of them, for sure. Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving. These are, like, some of the players that are very special.

[B]

Kyrie. I don't know if you watch tennis, but Djokovic.

[A]

Djokovic, yeah.

[B]

I would throw him in that conversation because he was the first to speak out about vaccines, I think.

[A]

Right, Exactly.

[B]

And they were making all. They made the NBA guys get it, right?

[A]

Yeah. Oh, no. Yes. And they were encouraging us.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Like, and, like, back then, obviously, like, we thought this was, like, I don't know. If you don't get it, you die. Right? So, like, we had these, like, doctors and special people that used to come and say, okay, you know, we have to inspire and educate. Educate the society, and you guys are the leaders. So talk about it and, like, think, like, as someone who was. This is my second language. I'm. I'm a foreigner. Yeah. So think about, like, hearing this. I'm like, oh, my God. Of course. Like, if. If you're all going to die, sure, I'll talk about the vaccine. I'll talk about this and that. So, like, we did it, and then later on, we learned that, like, there was all the trap. Wow.

[B]

You got all four shots.

[A]

No, only two. Okay. You only got two. Because, like, they were just, like, they said, well, if you don't get it. If you have a little bit, I'm never gonna apply for like a week or two. And obviously once you don't play for like two, three weeks, it's so hard for you to come back. And some of us had like, contract years, you know, so it was just like the fear they put out in our head, hey, if you don't get the vaccine, you have a very high percent chance of getting the. Getting the COVID Yeah. But then you might not play for three weeks. And then once it wasn't three weeks, you're out of the rotation, you're out of shape, and it doesn't matter how much you run, you know, you can't even run. You're going to be at your house and locked up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, so like, you were like, okay, like, we don't want to lose any contract or whatever. Let's just get it.

[B]

Damn. So you were in, in a fear state of mind and they kind of forced it. That's terrible. Did you feel different after getting that or.

[A]

To be honest with you, not at all. That's good. Like, I'm like, I. I mean, some.

[B]

Batches are worse than others, I think. Yeah.

[A]

So, like, even if I. If I didn't get it, I mean, I didn't know what will be like, the, the difference.

[B]

Yeah. That's good. So. Wow, man. Well, how can people watching this support you? I know you. By the time this airs, I think.

[A]

The book will be, yes, so this book, man. So I put everything in this book. Obviously. Like, I. When I became an American citizen, I changed my name to Freedom. And that's why the name of the book is in the Name of Freedom. This does talk about not only my life story, but all the struggles that millions of people out there going through. You know, there are so many communities out there, like Hong Kongers, Tibetans, you know, Ukrainians, Belarusian people, you know, Turkish people, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba. There are so many, like, innocent people are out there right now being suffering under dictatorship. So I hope this book will expose so many companies, the hypocrite companies, and so many dictatorships out there. But it talks about why I am so thankful for America and why we shouldn't take our freedom for granted. I love it and I hope this will inspire so many youth out there, because if you want to have a better and brighter future, we have to educate and inspire the next generation. So this is the book, man. And also it does talk about the coexistence, man, because, like, right now there are so many things that are happening because of this, like not knowing the other side, you know, I think we need dialogue between religions and cultures. It doesn't matter what your religion, your skin color, your background or whoever you are. We need to leave our differences on the table and trying to find what we have in common.

[B]

Agreed.

[A]

So like I hope this will book will inspire not only millions of kids in the Middle east, but the kids in America, the next generation America, so we don't take our freedom and democracy markets for granted.

[B]

Yeah, please check out the link in the video guys. I think it'll be on Amazon, right?

[A]

Yeah, it's on Amazon. If you just type in in the name of freedom on Amazon, this book will come out. And please buy.

[B]

Check him out guys. We'll link his social media handles as well if you want to support him. I'll see you next time.

[C]

I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. It helps the show a lot with the algorithm.

[A]

Thank you.