Enes Kanter
Encyclopedia
Enes Kanter is a Turkish
basketball
player drafted by the Utah Jazz
of the National Basketball Association
in 2011 NBA Draft
.
, Switzerland
, while his father, Mehmet Kanter, attained his doctorate
in histology
from the University of Zurich
. Mehmet Kanter is currently a professor at Trakya University
.
's management for Fenerbahçe Ülker
youth section between 2006-08 and then, during the 2008–09 season, Kanter was a seldom-used reserve for Fenerbahçe Ülker
, a Turkish professional basketball team. He played in at least nine games with the team – four in the Euroleague
and five in the Turkish Basketball League
. Fenerbahçe and Olympiacos B.C., a Greek League basketball team, both offered Kanter professional contracts, but he declined because he wanted to play high school and college basketball in the United States.
for the 2009–10 high school basketball season. At the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit
, Kanter played for the international team, scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. His point total was a record for the event, breaking Dirk Nowitzki
's record set in the 1998 game. Both Rivals.com
and Scout.com
rated Kanter as a five-star prospect, the highest possible rating.
, USC, Indiana
and UNLV. However, he re-opened his recruitment in February 2010. On April 14, 2010, Kanter signed a National Letter of Intent
to play for coach John Calipari
at the University of Kentucky
.
He was recruited to play for the University of Kentucky
Wildcats, but the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible as a collegiate athlete because he received approximately $33,000 from Fenerbahçe Ülker
in excess benefits. The NCAA ruled that this amount was above and beyond what was considered acceptable. On January 7, 2011, the NCAA rejected Kentucky's appeal, upholding that Kanter is permanently ineligible.
in the 2011 NBA Draft
along with Alec Burks
. "I'm so happy, I'm so excited. I know the Utah Jazz fans are crazy and I love them," he said. "I will bring the team toughness and post moves, rebounding, everything. I will try to do everything to make the playoffs."
"First of all, I felt great because it's the Utah Jazz — I have family there," Kanter said of his reaction to being selected by the Jazz. "Like Mehmet Okur play there, too, so it's kind of like my family, so I was very happy. I know he will help me a lot when I'm in Utah, and I can't wait to play with him."
in the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
, averaging 18.6 points and 16.4 rebounds while leading Turkey's junior national team to the bronze medal. He declined to play for the senior national team in the 2010 FIBA World Championship
which was being held in Turkey and the team would go on to finish 2nd place. His father claimed he did this in order not to miss the first month of classes at Kentucky
.
As of 2011, he has been chosen for the Turkish national basketball team and appeared in EuroBasket 2011
. He appeared in 8 games, logging 17.8 minutes per game, and he averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. "
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player drafted by the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
in 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
.
Early life
Enes Kanter was born May 20, 1992 in ZürichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, while his father, Mehmet Kanter, attained his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in histology
Histology
Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...
from the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
. Mehmet Kanter is currently a professor at Trakya University
Trakya University
Trakya University , aka University of Thrace, established on July 20, 1982, is a state university located in Edirne, at Turkey's European part Eastern Thrace....
.
Professional career
Kanter was first discovered as a member of Ankara Samanyolu Koleji. He played under Serdar ApaydınSerdar Apaydin
Serdar Apaydın is a former professional basketball player and former assistant coach of Fenerbahçe Ulker from Turkey. He is the current Head Coach of Antalya B.B....
's management for Fenerbahçe Ülker
Fenerbahçe Ülker
Fenerbahçe Ülker is the professional men's basketball department of Fenerbahçe S.K., a major multisport club based in Istanbul, Turkey. The department has been sponsored by the Ülker since 2006. In 2006 Fenerbahçe S.K...
youth section between 2006-08 and then, during the 2008–09 season, Kanter was a seldom-used reserve for Fenerbahçe Ülker
Fenerbahçe Ülker
Fenerbahçe Ülker is the professional men's basketball department of Fenerbahçe S.K., a major multisport club based in Istanbul, Turkey. The department has been sponsored by the Ülker since 2006. In 2006 Fenerbahçe S.K...
, a Turkish professional basketball team. He played in at least nine games with the team – four in the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
and five in the Turkish Basketball League
Turkish Basketball League
The Turkish Basketball League is the top men’s professional basketball league in Turkey, which is also called Turkish Premier Basketball League . There is also a Turkish Second Basketball League consisting of 2 divisions .-History:The first basketball game played in Turkey was at the Robert...
. Fenerbahçe and Olympiacos B.C., a Greek League basketball team, both offered Kanter professional contracts, but he declined because he wanted to play high school and college basketball in the United States.
Prep school
Later, Kanter moved to US and played for Stoneridge Preparatory School in Simi Valley, CaliforniaSimi Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
for the 2009–10 high school basketball season. At the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit
Nike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is a basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select team of international players. The players demonstrate their skills and hope to attract attention from either NBA scouts or...
, Kanter played for the international team, scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. His point total was a record for the event, breaking Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association...
's record set in the 1998 game. Both Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
and Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
rated Kanter as a five-star prospect, the highest possible rating.
College career
On November 23, 2009, Kanter verbally committed to play for the University of Washington Huskies. Kanter chose Washington over UCLAUCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
, USC, Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
and UNLV. However, he re-opened his recruitment in February 2010. On April 14, 2010, Kanter signed a National Letter of Intent
National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating NCAA colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association provides...
to play for coach John Calipari
John Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
He was recruited to play for the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
Wildcats, but the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible as a collegiate athlete because he received approximately $33,000 from Fenerbahçe Ülker
Fenerbahçe Ülker
Fenerbahçe Ülker is the professional men's basketball department of Fenerbahçe S.K., a major multisport club based in Istanbul, Turkey. The department has been sponsored by the Ülker since 2006. In 2006 Fenerbahçe S.K...
in excess benefits. The NCAA ruled that this amount was above and beyond what was considered acceptable. On January 7, 2011, the NCAA rejected Kentucky's appeal, upholding that Kanter is permanently ineligible.
NBA career
Kanter was drafted 3rd overall by the Utah JazzUtah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
along with Alec Burks
Alec Burks
Alec Burks is an American professional basketball shooting guard with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. Burks played college basketball with the University of Colorado Buffaloes.-High school:...
. "I'm so happy, I'm so excited. I know the Utah Jazz fans are crazy and I love them," he said. "I will bring the team toughness and post moves, rebounding, everything. I will try to do everything to make the playoffs."
"First of all, I felt great because it's the Utah Jazz — I have family there," Kanter said of his reaction to being selected by the Jazz. "Like Mehmet Okur play there, too, so it's kind of like my family, so I was very happy. I know he will help me a lot when I'm in Utah, and I can't wait to play with him."
Turkish national team
Kanter was named the Most Valuable PlayerMost Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
in the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was inaugurated in 1964 and for the following 40 years it had been held biannually. From 2004 onwards, it is held every year.-Summaries:-Performances by nation:...
, averaging 18.6 points and 16.4 rebounds while leading Turkey's junior national team to the bronze medal. He declined to play for the senior national team in the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...
which was being held in Turkey and the team would go on to finish 2nd place. His father claimed he did this in order not to miss the first month of classes at Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
As of 2011, he has been chosen for the Turkish national basketball team and appeared in EuroBasket 2011
Eurobasket 2011
EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time Eurobasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 championship. FIBA Europe asserted that Lithuania managed to...
. He appeared in 8 games, logging 17.8 minutes per game, and he averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. "