Enes Freedom: A New Chapter in the Clash Between the NBA and China
How one NBA player’s activism has disrupted the NBA’s already tenuous relations with China
“YOU HAVE TO take your shoes off.”
It was opening night at Madison Square Garden, with the Boston Celtics looking to redeem themselves after a disappointing 2020–2021 season, and the New York Knicks hoping to build off of their surprising 2020–2021 rejuvenation.
Yet, by the end of the night, the prevailing storyline was not Julius Randle’s dominant 35/8/9 performance, Jaylen Brown’s 46 point masterpiece, or Evan Fournier’s 32 point debut — it was Enes Kanter’s shoes.
Enes Kanter (now Enes Freedom) had already developed a reputation as an activist who spoke his mind, no matter the consequences, after his criticisms of the Turkish government. Today, however, he was focused on Tibet.
Specifically, Kanter wore “Free Tibet” sneakers, in reference to their pursuit of sovereignty from the Chinese government. The NBA, since removing all color restrictions from team’s sneakers, has largely been supportive of players using their footwear as platforms for social justice. Yet, for some reason, two NBA employees told Kanter to remove his shoes before the game.
This incident is worth further investigation, if for no other reason than the irony of Kanter’s message being censored by the league — the same league that permitted its players to replace their last names with social justice messages in the NBA Bubble.
The NBA is the most progressive of the major American professional sports leagues, but as their past encounters with the Chinese government have shown, money can interfere with their morals.
“Two guys from the NBA came up to me and said, ‘You have to take your shoes off. We are begging you. … You have to take your shoes off. We have been getting so many calls’”
— Enes Freedom, C, Boston Celtics
ENES KANTER IS no stranger to controversy.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan labeled Kanter a terrorist for his support of Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Muslim cleric who has been accused of leading a failed coup against the government in 2016. Additionally, Kanter’s passport was revoked in 2017, and his games have been censored in Turkey.
Perhaps most shockingly, a basketball camp he planned to host at the Islamic Center of Long Island was moved after the Turkish Consulate sent threats to the mosque due to Kanter’s presence at the camp.
Kanter had made headlines for his criticisms of the Turkish government and Erdoğan’s authoritarian streak before, including wearing sneakers that read “Free political prisoners” in 2020.
When his activism crossed the border into Chinese politics, including the mistreatment and human rights abuses of the minority Muslim ethnic group Uyghur, however, something changed.
Not only did two league officials request him to change his shoes, but also, according to Kanter, the NBPA (the league’s players association) “called and harassed” him.
In the game’s following his opening night controversy, Kanter continued his activist stance. His sneakers, designed by Chinese dissident artist “Badiucao,” have featured messages including: “Free China,” “Taiwan belongs to the Taiwanese people,” “Free Hong Kong,” “Free Uyghur,” “No Beijing 2022,” “Stop genocide, torture, rape, slave labor,” “Stop organ harvesting in China,” “Close the camps” and “Modern-day slavery.” This comes after he called Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator” on a Facebook video.
Soon after, Celtics games were banned in China, in the same manner that Rockets games were banned after then General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for Hong Kong in the 2019 preseason.
Perhaps what’s most striking about Kanter is his willingness to strike at the human rights violations that are ignored by a seemingly progressive league.
In particular, Kanter criticized Nike’s policies regarding labor in China, as their shoes and clothing are made in factories with notably poor working conditions. Furthermore, Muslim minorities have been abused and tortued in Xinjiang “re-education camps” and sent into factory work where they are barred from their religion and paid less than the minimum wage, per Yahoo! Sports.
“Visit these SLAVE labor camps and you can see it with your own eyes,” he tweeted at Nike co-founder Phil Knight and their two most notable athletes, LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
In another, more targeted message, Kanter claimed that Nike was “silent” about injustices that took place outside of America. “You do not address police brutality in China,” he tweeted. “You do not speak about discrimination against the LGBTQ community. You do not say a word about the oppression of minorities in China. You are scared to speak up.”
More recently, Kanter has increased his pressure on James, who, back in 2019 (perhaps in frustration due to the consequences he and the Lakers faced after Daryl Morey’s tweet) insinuated that Kanter and others were misinformed about Chinese politics.
“I don’t know if he’s educated enough, but I’m here to educate him and I’m here to help him,” he told ESPN. “Because it’s not about money. It’s about morals, principles and values. It’s about what you stand for.”
“When I was nine years old, my mom told me to always stand up for what’s right — even if it means sacrificing everything. From that day forward, I have always been outspoken.”
— Enes Kanter Freedom
So what may be the aftermath of Kanter’s recent actions?
The NBA, at the moment, is walking a tight-rope in its business discussions with China. While Adam Silver claimed that the league “exports” American values to China, and will protect the value of freedom of speech, there is unmistakably a cost in doing business overseas.
That includes Tencent, the Chinese streaming service responsible airing NBA games, banning Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and, now, Boston Celtics games due to their political affiliations against China. In addition, the league is dependent on Chinese revenue to an extent; its revenue projections decreased as soon as Morey’s infamous tweet about Hong Kong.
Furthermore, Morey feared being blackballed by the league for his tweet, and similarly, Kanter feels that his playing time has been limited by his actions off the court. “Keep limiting me on the court,” he stated on social media. “I will expose you off the court.”
With that said, his words have less credibility when considering that he is a third-string center on a team with two above average centers (Al Horford and Robert Williams). In addition, while Kanter’s criticisms of Nike athletes is fair to an extent, it is unclear why Kanter does not address the irony of not criticizing teammates like Jayson Tatum (who has an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand) about human rights issues.
On the one hand, Kanter’s words have credibility, as he’s built a reputation for being outspoken against what are clear injustices in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. On the other hand, he’s created a paradox: irregardless of his intentions, Kanter is able to speak out on human rights issues because of the Nike-brand Celtics jersey he wears, the teammates like Jayson Tatum he plays with, and the platform he gained by being a multi-millionaire athlete. It’s not unlike any other NBA player who spoke out during the Black Lives Matter movement.
There is a reality where, after convincing enough players to act, Tencent would no longer be able to censor certain teams, and Nike’s business practices will change. But, as Enes Kanter Freedom notes, we are still a ways away from this reality.
Sources:
- Enes Kanter and the tangled web of the NBA, Nike, their biggest stars and China — Yahoo! Sports
- Why Enes Kanter Freedom is proud to be American — and speak out on China
- How NBA player Enes Kanter became a major enemy of Turkey’s president
- Enes Kanter Freedom Says He Wants to ‘Educate’ LeBron James on China
