Enes Kanter Freedom believes his open criticism of the NBA is the reason he is no longer on a roster, but he clearly is not going to let that silence him.
Freedom blasted the NBA and the Boston Celtics on Twitter Sunday for picking and choosing which human rights movements to support. The 29-year-old called his former team “hypocrites” for wearing Ukraine pins. Freedom said he also supports Ukraine but noted that the Celtics “begged” him to not wear anti-China sneakers a few months ago.
How is it fair when I wore shoes to bring awareness about Human Rights violations around the world, @Celtics begged me to remove them and threatened to ban me, #Celtics now wear Ukrainian flag pins.
Who approved this @NBPA / @NBA?
Who chooses whose lives are more important? https://t.co/NT8daMNB4e
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) March 6, 2022
“Who chooses whose lives are more important?” Freedom wrote. “Is there not much profit from Russia?”
Freedom, who was acquired by the Houston Rockets via trade and then waived last month, has consistently bashed China for their human rights violations. He has also called out LeBron James and Nike, which both have strong business ties to the Asian country. The NBA has been very outspoken regarding domestic political issues, and now many within the league are showing support for Ukraine. However, the NBA and many of its players tread lightly with China due to the massive amount of money the league makes from the communist country.
Freedom came to the United States from Turkey for basketball reasons. He has called out the country’s president multiple times and has feared consequences for his defiance.
Photo: Nov 22, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter (11) before the game against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
