Enes Kanter Freedom has been openly critical this season of LeBron James, along with Nike, for not speaking out about human rights violations in China.
Speaking to the media for the first time in several weeks on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics center said that he would welcome the chance to speak with Los Angeles Lakers star and “educate” him on the matter.
“Sure, I’d love to sit down and talk to him,” Freedom said Tuesday after the Celtics’ practice, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I’m sure it’s going to be a very uncomfortable conversation for him. I don’t know if he’s gonna want that. I’ll make that really comfortable for him.
“I don’t know if he’s educated enough, but I’m here to educate him and I’m here to help him, because it’s not about money. It’s about morals, principles and values. It’s about what you stand for. There are way bigger things than money. If LeBron stopped making money now, his grandkids and grandkids and grandkids can have the best life ever.
“I feel like it’s definitely time for athletes to stand up for the things they believe in … not just in America … but all over the world.”
New ESPN story: A day after becoming a U.S. citizen and changing his last name to “Freedom,” Enes Kanter Freedom says he’d like to meet with LeBron James and “educate” him on humans rights issues in China. https://t.co/tNwdtEO3xc
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 30, 2021
Freedom, who officially became an American citizen on Monday and legally changed his name from “Enes Kanter” to “Enes Kanter Freedom”, has spoken out about a number of international causes that are important to him during his years in the NBA. However, this season, he’s taken aim at Nike and James for neglecting, in his eyes, to address human rights violations in China.
Throughout the first quarter of the 2021-22 NBA season, Freedom has been wearing shoes depicting various people and places that he has spoken out against. That includes Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping, as well as LeBron James.
“Money over Morals for the ‘King’… Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice. They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss says so… Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research?” Kanter wrote in reference to James on Twitter earlier this month.
Money over Morals for the “King” 👑
Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice
They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss 🇨🇳 says so
Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research? pic.twitter.com/YUA8rGYeoZ
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) November 18, 2021
Lebron was recently asked about Freedom’s criticism this season and he responded by saying the Celtics’ center was “not someone I will give my energy to.” He added that Freedom had a chance to say something to him when the Lakers were in Boston earlier this month.
Time will tell if James takes note of Freedom’s latest comments and agrees to a sit down with him in the near future.
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