BIOGRAPHY
Kanter was born on May 20, 1992, in Zürich, Switzerland. He is a center in the NBA.
He spent his time in Switzerland while his father, Mehmet, attained his M.D. from the University of Zurich. His father is a professor of histology at Trakya University. Fenerbahçe and the Greek League basketball team Olympiacos both offered Kanter professional contracts, but he declined because he wanted to play high school and college basketball in the United States.
In 2009, Kanter moved to the United States, where he enrolled at Stoneridge Preparatory School in Simi Valley, California, and played for the basketball team in 2009–10. At the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit, Kanter played for the international team, recording 34 points and 13 rebounds. His point total was a record for the event, breaking Dirk Nowitzki's record set in the 1998 game. On November 23, 2009, Kanter verbally committed to play for the Washington Huskies. Kanter chose Washington over UCLA, USC, Indiana and UNLV. However, he re-opened his recruitment in February 2010, and on April 14, Kanter signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Kentucky.
With the third overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. In his rookie season, Kanter averaged 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 66 games. In his career, Kanter has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, and Portland Trail Blazers.
On July 1st 2019, Kanter and the Boston Celtics agreed on a two-year deal.
On November 20, 2020, Kanter was traded back to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team trade that also includes the Memphis Grizzlies. On April 10, 2021, in a 118–103 win over the Detroit Pistons, Kanter set a career high and franchise record 30 rebounds breaking Sidney Wicks record of 27 which he set in 1975. He also scored 24 points in the game, in which he became just the third player in the past 20 years to deliver a 20-point, 30-rebound performance.
On August 13, 2021, Kanter signed with the Boston Celtics.
