Enes Kanter is not a superstar. He is also not an All-Star. He is not even the best player on the New York Knicks. That would be unicorn Kristaps Porzingis. But there’s a wave of pride in Kanter right now after he was recently included by Bleacher Report on its list of Most Influential People in Sports Culture.

Kanter got the recognition not for his play on the court, but rather for his actions outside of it. Kanter has earned praises of peace-loving folks and the ire of the Turkish government, particularly of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, by continually attacking the manner Erdogan is running Kanter’s native country.

Under Erdogan’s regime, numerous media members, citizens, government oppositions, and even Kanter’s father, have been sent to prison for the mere expression of criticisms.

From Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report:

He knows he endangers himself every time he tweets an anti-Erdogan message—between trolly shots at LeBron—to his 470,000 Twitter followers.

He knows he endangers himself every time he uses the power of the New York media to throw a punch.

And it's because he knows all this that he refuses to submit.

The Knicks veteran, meanwhile, sends a tweet to express his gratitude to Bleacher Report for recognizing his deeds.

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