Enes Kanter, center for the Boston Celtics of Turkey, will change his name to Enes Kanter Freedom when he takes U.S. citizenship on Tuesday (AEDT), sports website Athletic reported.

Kanter, 29, has long been a vocal critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dubbing him the “Hitler of our century” in 2017.

But he did not reserve his criticisms for Turkey, condemning China’s human rights record and calling on NBA superstar LeBron James for failing to advocate for Covid-19 vaccines and for his ties to Nike for what he believes to be the company’s inability to act regarding the treatment of minorities in China.

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“Remember, every time you put these shoes on your feet or put this T-shirt on your back, there are so many tears and so much oppression and so much blood behind it,” said Kanter on a CNN. interview accusing that “millions” of people of the Uyghur ethnic group are forced to work in factories in “modern day slavery”.

Kanter denounced Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “brutal dictator” and condemned his country’s policy in Tibet.

Kanter was drafted third by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA Draft.

This is his second stint with the Celtics in an NBA career which has also seen him play for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers.