Twitter Dana Brooke alongside boyfriend Enes Kanter, center for the Portland Trail Blazers.
It’s been a big year for Enes Kanter. Originally with the Knicks, he signed with Portland after New York released him just before the NBA trade deadline in February. That means he went from one of the worst teams in the league to currently playing in the Western Conference semifinals against the Nuggets.
His Turkish government also sees him as a political dissident, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly asked for a warrant for his arrest late last year.
On top of all that, he started a celebrity romance with Dana Brooke, a WWE wrestler. The 6-foot-11 center has been dating the 5-foot-3 Brooke as recently as this March. Here’s what you need to know about her.
1. Her Real Name is Ashley Mae Sebera
Dana Brooke is a stage name. She was born Ashley Mae Sebera on Nov. 29, 1988 in Seven Hills, Ohio. Her mother Robin introduced her to gymnastics at a very young age, writes Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I was always flipping all over my house,” said Brooke, 27, a native of Ohio. “[Gymnastics] started when I was 2-years-old. My mother [Robin] took me to the Mom & Tot classes at the Johnson’s Gymnastics Center in Valley View, Ohio. I was bouncing around there, at home, in my backyard, and I became a gymnast for 18 years.”
According to the profile, she even made the U.S. National Team in the early 2000s and competed in the Junior Olympics. This dream died after she required reconstructive surgery on her ankle.
“I tried to come back after my ankle injury,” she said to the Herald, “but my doctor said, ‘You’re not going to be able to compete like you want to,’ and that was just heart-breaking to me…With my career-ending injury, I just didn’t know where it was going to take me.”
2. She Pivoted From Gymnastics to Bikini & Fitness Modeling
Dana Brooke x Fitness International (2015)
Initially after recovering from ankle surgery, Sebera turned to diving, winning a district title for Holy Name High School, a private Catholic school in Parma Heights, Ohio.
“To be honest, diving was boring to me,” she said to the Herald. “I needed something a little bit more challenging.”
Sebera pivoted to bikini and fitness modeling, opting more for the latter as she didn’t like that the grading criteria was “just another pretty face winning.”
“There you had a two-minute routine, strength routine, and I thought, ‘That’s it. That’s my ticket to fame,’” Sebera said to the Herald. “Everything to me was in fitness. Your body looked great. You worked out. You trained, and I brought gymnastics back into it with these two-minute fitness routines with a theme. I felt good. I felt like everything was back into my life.”
Between 2011 and 2012, she held several championships in the National Physique Committee (NPC). In 2012, she earned a pro card at the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness. At the Arnold Classic, she finished 14th in 2017.
3. She Signed on With WWE in 2013 and Changed Her Name to Dana Brooke
According to PWInsider, Sebera signed with WWE and “is working down at NXT.” Since then between WWE and NXT, she recorded a 63-153-3 record. She changed her name to Brooke right after hitting the pro circuit.
She twice wrestled for the NXT Women’s Title in September 2015, losing both times to Bayley (first in Austin and second in San Antonio). This past March, she saw her only opportunity for the WWE Raw Women’s title, but lost via submission to Ronda Rousey.
After that match, Brooke took Rousey to task on social media for comments regarding the legitimacy of the wrestling business (per Pro Wrestling Sheet).
“SHE IS STRONG BUT SHE IS TIRED” -take a look in my eyes…. Last night I HAD NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE! I meant every word I said… I felt like I was going to cry, but I wanted to be BRAVE for all of YOU… I wanted to use my platform to be the voice of ALL #wweuniverse ! -Listen, we only expose so much on social media, but behind close doors we face so much! Last night, you heard “Ashley” you heard the true passion behind my heart that is bottled up inside “DANA” … I wanted you all to see ME.. everyday I look like this, not heavy makeup, hair up in the gym grinding away to look the best I can & be the best I can be. Most of you know what I have been through in the past year in a half, I lost & loved , I lost vision, I wasn’t comfortable, here I am now- this is me.
4. Her First Boyfriend Dallas McCarver Died in 2017
Happy birthday to the late – great – Dallas McCarver.
HT Josh Lenartowicz for the heads up.
Brooke met her first boyfriend Dallas McCarver on the fitness modeling circuit. He finished in the top-4 at the 2017 Arnold Classic where she placed 14th. He passed unexpectedly in August 2017 after choking on food.
The Sun recapped the news at the time.
Brooke told TMZ they had spoken shortly on the phone before a friend found him later that night.
All seemed well and Brooke claims there’s no indication of foul play, with McCarver doing a workout earlier in the day.
Brooke also told his fans to stay strong as that is what he would have wanted.
McCarver was a well-known face on the bodybuilding circuit, clocking in a 6 ft 1 in and weighing 300lbs.
He finished 8th at the 2016 My Olympia competition and had been going out with Brooke for quite a while.
5. Brooke Started Dating Kanter Late in 2018 & Sees Him as a “Living Angel”
Ahhhhhhh Dana Brooke dating Enes Kanter is 100% confirmed ahhhhh
In Lillian Garcia’s podcast Chasing Glory, Brooke talked about the difficulty of moving past McCarver’s death. She started dating Kanter late in 2018, which she stated has greatly helped in the recovery process.
“He could sense something. He could sense some kind of pain or something that I couldn’t let go and I never really opened up to anyone ever about this and I opened up to him and I let it all out. I felt as though if I met somebody and tried to talk to another man or person in my life, I would feel judged or they would say, ‘Why are you crying about this person?’ They would feel like he was still somebody I was in love with.”
Kanter also helped Brooke continue her wrestling career after she considered quitting in the wake of the defeat to Rousey.
“He would be like, ‘Push through girl. You’re doing this because you’re inspiring thousands. He prays for Dallas and says, ‘Do this for him.’ It’s like Dallas put this walking living angel in front of me and he holds my hand and he motivates me, and at the darkest times when I wanted to walk away from everything and wrestling, Enes wouldn’t [let me].”
While she’s based in Orlando, Kanter is based in Portland. Despite the distance, the couple appear incredibly close.