Basketball star Enes Kanter Freedom pleaded for a fellow player to join him in taking a stand against the NBA’s connections to communist China Friday on “The Ingraham Angle.” Enes Kanter Freedom: Human rights violations happen all around the world. We have to call them out like it is. And… for the NBA, moral[ity] matter[s] until money or business are involved. So that is the one thing that was breaking my heart. And all these owners — there are 50 NBA owners — are making profit off of slave labor.
Source: Fox News Staff @ FOXnews.com
Source: Fox News Staff @ FOXnews.com
More on this storyline
On Sunday, Enes Freedom went further, claiming on Twitter that the Celtics, too, asked him not to don his human rights footwear. Not so, says Brad Stevens, who told the Herald on Tuesday that the Celtics’ only initial question involved whether the sneakers violated the NBA’s uniform policy, which it quickly determined they did not. But the Celtics president stressed that he has never stepped in the way of a player expressing his political beliefs. -via Boston Herald / March 9, 2022
“Here’s exactly what happened,” said Stevens. “I was actually at home, and when he decided to wear the sneakers, there was some concern – and I didn’t even know until the end of the first quarter – that there was a potential uniform or dress code violation. I don’t know what was said – I can’t imagine that phrasing was said – but the question to me was what to do about Enes’ shoes. I said I think that he’s fine, and let me double check with the NBA to see if there’s any uniform violation. Double-checked, fine, and he wore those the rest of the game and he wore whatever he wanted the rest of the year. It’s interesting, because I feel really good that we truly sat here and supported him and his right to express himself and his freedom of speech, and I even told him the next day that you know I’ve always done that.” -via Boston Herald / March 8, 2022
Brad Stevens: “I talked to him the next day, and I said you know I’ve always supported your right to express yourself, to speak on whatever you speak on. Just let me know in advance, so I’m not checking on these things in the middle of the first quarter from my couch at home. We didn’t talk about anything after that, because we weren’t checking from that point forward. Wear whatever you want.” -via Boston Herald / March 8, 2022
