Our Guest Enes Kanter

Recently, the famous former NBA basketball player, Enes Kanter, visited our summer school. Excited by the opportunity, the Yankı team welcomed Enes Kanter to our summer program with an interview. We posed some questions from you to Enes Kanter and received his answers that you’ve been curious about. We even captured this on video. Enes Kanter was asked a total of 7 questions, and his responses were evident, detailed, and enlightening.

When asked what motivated him to become an activist, even risking everything during the peak of his career, Enes Kanter responded: “The source of my motivation was the youth, young people suffering from oppression all around the world.”

Enes Kanter is known among Turks and is a well-known and beloved figure to many worldwide. To illustrate this beautifully with a story, I’d like to offer you the following story:

One of our community members was pulled over by a police officer four years ago because of a missing license plate one night. When the officer asked, ‘Do you know why I pulled you over?’ our friend responded, ‘Yes, I know why. I don’t have my sticker, but I’m new here and don’t know the laws. I missed the right time to get it.’ When the officer asked, ‘Where are you from?’ our friend replied, ‘I’m from Turkey.’ The officer then inquired, ‘Do you know Enes Kanter? Did you come here for the same purpose?’ about the situation in Turkey? Our friend said ‘yes’ and mentioned that Enes Kanter is like our brother. The officer grinned widely and said Enes Kanter is a Freedom Fighter for the entire world. He had a 45-minute conversation with our friend and said, ‘WELCOME TO CANADA.’ He gave our friend a ticket but not any demerit points.

This story shows the real impact of trying to make a difference in the world on other people. Please, let’s strive to ensure that even in this dark world, even a little bit, everyone under oppression is seen. Who knows, perhaps because you’re recognized as someone fighting for freedom, you might unknowingly save someone from receiving a ticket on the road 🙂