In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World by Enes Kanter Freedom Book Review

In The Name of Freedom, Enes Kanter Freedom is a touching story about a basketball player turned activist. He saw his home country being controlled by a dictator and he refused to stay silence. He opened up about how he was disowned by his own country, Turkey. He labeled an international criminal with arrest warrants. He wasn’t able to contact his family for 10 years. He shared how he almost didn’t get to escape to the United States. He was banned from the NBA. He faced opposition from Nike when they heard he left Turkey. They emailed coaches, leagues, schools, NCAA stating that he was a pro and he has a shoe deal. All because his father signed on his behalf and caused all of these issues for money. Nike had a dream of him being the next big star in Turkey and when he moved to the USA everything changed. In the book, he discussed how a general manager made a stance against China and how they treat their people and was tweeting. Enes was told he needed to not post any tweets like he had been against Turkey. A lot of the conflict came from money and China was a huge supporter of the NBA. This turned into him eventually taking a stand with his shoes and choosing to wear custom made shoes. They said free Tibet. This led to him not getting signed again and was basically banned from the NBA. 

 

 

This story was very eye opening and inspiring to read about how he became a voice for the voiceless. It cost him his basketball career in the end but that hasn’t stopped him from trying to make a difference. I liked how he discussed his life and what the cost of freedom truly is. I haven’t heard of him before reading this book, but I’m not a huge sports fan. I still enjoyed the book and learning about how he refused to follow the crowd. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sports book mixed with a powerful message. 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/Name-Freedom-Political-Dissidents-Rights-ebook/dp/B0DV6JVLN2/