With his own political battles in full swing, Martin Luther King Jr. Day holds a lot of meaning for New York Knicks big man Enes Kanter.

The embattled 26-year-old, who himself has had a highly publicized spat with his (former) home country of Turkey due to political reasons, recently shared why it means so much to him to be able to honor the legacy of MLK:

“Of course man, it means a lot. Everybody, whoever fights for freedom, if you’re fighting for democracy or human rights. It shows a lot,” said Kanter, via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “So it will definitely be a blessing to have that day and play that day. So it will be an honor to go out there and wear this (Martin Luther King Jr.) t-shirt and play because he fought for something very important.”

Kanter recently made headlines after it was announced that the Turkish government was seeking an international arrest warrant for him in relation to his alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt a couple of years back.

To some extent, Kanter knows how it feels to be chastised and oppressed, and this is exactly why the celebration of MLK Day means a lot to him.

After missing the team's past three games due to an illness, Kanter appears to be on track to make his return to action on Monday, as the Knicks face the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the NBA's MLK Day games.