Dharamshala, 5th December: In an official letter dated November 23, 2021, Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration congratulated NBA player Enes Kanter for expressing his solidarity with the Tibetan people inside Tibet under Chinese authority.
Sikyong wrote in the letter:
“I have come to learn with great admiration about your advocacy for the rights and freedoms of Tibetans suffering under China’s repressive rule. As a person of your stature, your support has tremendously helped amplify the voices of the Tibetan people. It is also a great source of encouragement and hope for the Tibetan people inside Tibet and around the world, as well as to all those oppressed under the authoritarian regime of the Chinese government, Your support comes at a crucial time when the Chinese government is increasingly and aggressively using its economic clout to threaten the universal values of democracy, freedom and rule of law, As the Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, I, on behalf of the Tibetans inside Tibet and around the world, express our deep gratitude for your resolute stand for human rights and freedom.”
Enes Kanter has legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom in honor of becoming a US citizen on the 29th of November. When the Celtics play the Philadelphia 76ers later this week, the name ‘Freedom’ will be on his jersey. Mr. Kanter claims that his teammates already refer to him by that moniker.
“Freedom is the greatest thing a human being can have. That’s why I wanted to make that word a part of me, and carry it wherever I go,” Enes Kanter stated.
“Freedom meant so much to me. I wanted to make that word part of me because obviously in America you have freedom of speech, religion, expression, and press,” Kanter Freedom made a point.
He also stated that “Under the Chinese government’s brutal rule, Tibetan peoples’ basic rights and freedoms are non-existent”.