Basketball superstar Enes Kanter confirmed that he’s “actually considering” a career in politics once his time in the NBA is over.
During the SiriusXM “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast Monday, host Megyn Kelly asked the Boston Celtics center about his recent appearances with politicians on both sides of the political aisle naming people like Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democratic New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.
“You go on MSNBC, you go on Fox,” Kelly said. “It did leave me to wonder if you might be planning a future in politics. So, you can actually make a difference in other ways too.” (RELATED: NBA Player Enes Kanter Says He’s Becoming A Citizen Of ‘The Greatest Country In The World’)
It starts at the 24:51 minute mark. (RELATED: Enes Kanter Says LeBron James’ Former Teammates Told Him The Basketball Star Only Cares About His ‘PR’)
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“Not that you’re not making a difference now,” she added. “You are doing something important now.”
“You know it is important to put the right people in politics because it can literally change the country’s direction,” Enes replied. “So, you know when I sit down with so many politicians, Democrats and Republicans, you know the first thing they tell me is ‘you know, you have a bright future in politics. So, after your basketball career, please consider it.'”
“And I was like, you know what, I am actually considering it after my basketball career, ” he added. “I don’t know how long I’ll be playing in the NBA. But after my sports career, I’d love to start getting into American politics.”
Kanter recently celebrated becoming an official citizen of the United States. He has been one of the only voices in the league to speak up for Uyghurs and the people of Tibet as he’s slammed China for its human rights violations.
He also recently called out basketball star LeBron James for valuing “money over morals” and American companies “for turning a blind eye toward human rights abuses in China.”