Kerem Kanter

Kerem Kanter — Biography

Kerem Kanter is a basketball player who plays power forward and centre at 2.08 metres. He made his name in American college basketball with Wisconsin-Green Bay and Xavier, then followed a professional path from France to Japan. Today he plays in the Korean Basketball League for the Seoul Samsung Thunders. He is also known as the younger brother of NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom.

His first big step in basketball was a season at IMG Academy in the United States, where he averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds per game. He took a long time to decide on college and chose Green Bay. In his sophomore year he helped the team reach its first NCAA Tournament in 20 years; as a junior he averaged 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, and he entered the NBA draft but withdrew before the deadline. At Xavier, where he went under the graduate transfer rule, he averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds; the team went 29-6, won the programme's first Big East regular-season title and earned a 1 seed in the tournament. In the first round Kanter scored 24 points against Texas Southern. In 2013 he won a gold medal with the Turkish under-18 national team at the FIBA Europe Championship.

After going undrafted in 2018 he agreed to a deal with JL Bourg in France in August 2018, then played for Dzūkija, Joventut Badalona, Kolossos Rodou, Śląsk Wrocław and Akita Northern Happinets. Besides European cups, he has played in the Korean league and appeared in an All-Star game.