Enes Freedom: ‘Two gentlemen from the NBA begged me to take the shoes off’

“Before the game at Madison Square Garden, two gentlemen from the NBA begged me to take the shoes off,” said Kanter. “I was confused. I was getting ready for my citizenship test and I knew that the First Amendment is freedom of speech. Them telling …

“Before the game at Madison Square Garden, two gentlemen from the NBA begged me to take the shoes off,” said Kanter. “I was confused. I was getting ready for my citizenship test and I knew that the First Amendment is freedom of speech. Them telling me to take my shoes off went against my First Amendment rights. I said I would not take them off. I didn’t care if I got banned or fined. During halftime I received a text message from my manager: All the Celtics games were suddenly banned in China. It took one half of a Celtics game, with me wearing these shoes, on the bench, for the games to get banned.”
Source: Michael Kaplan @ New York Post

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Enes Kanter @EnesFreedom
I’m here to raise the voices of millions against a Dictatorship that made
6 million+ people flee #Venezuela
6 million+ people who are now looking for a chance to survive outside of their country & dreaming of returning home to hug their loved ones
We need to help #SaveVenezuela pic.twitter.com/RMy3cqCndj – 7:53 PM

Enes Kanter @EnesFreedom
Huge thanks to the REAL president of Venezuela @jguaido for your support and effort to #SaveVenezuela
We need to hold these brutal Dictators like @NicolasMaduro accountable for their human rights abuses.
Please join us to be the voice of all those innocent people in #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/mP7Fcw9cUE – 12:23 PM

Eurohoops @Eurohoopsnet
Enes Kanter called out Jeremy Lin for playing in China
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/12… – 4:00 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Enes Kanter Freedom revels in new identity while remaining true to himself #Celtics bostonglobe.com/2021/12/04/spo… via @BostonGlobe – 10:55 AM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
Check out this week’s Forward Progress on SiriusXM Sports!
⚖️ Rittenhouse & Arbery Verdicts
📘 Raise A Fist, Take A Knee: Race and the Illusion of Progress in Modern Sports
🏀 Enes Kanter’s New Name
⛳️ Remembering Lee Elder
📻Listen Here: https://t.co/cGXZj8cDMl pic.twitter.com/a0pBIjO5ac – 9:44 PM
Ethan Strauss @SherwoodStrauss
Narrated Article: The Conservative Cringefest Over Enes Kanter, houseofstrauss.substack.com/p/narrated-art… – 11:35 AM
Enes Kanter @EnesFreedom
Shame on you @Jeremy Lin
Haven’t you had enough of that Dirty Chinese Communist Party money feeding you to stay silent?
How disgusting of you to turn your back against your country & your people.
Stand with Taiwan!
Stop bowing to money & the Dictatorship.
Morals over Money brother – 11:06 AM

More on this storyline

 

“They asked me if I would wear those shoes again and I promised not to — but I wore ‘Free Uyghur,’” he said, referring to the minority Muslim ethnic group that has reportedly suffered human rights abuses in China. “The National Basketball Players Association called me and harassed me. I told them to stop calling and texting me.” -via New York Post / December 8, 2021
“Two years ago, I tweeted that Hong Kong should be free.” Then “Le Bron said he is not educated enough about the situation [to comment on it] and that what I tweeted hurt the league. It’s sad that these players are social justice warriors, but, when it comes to China, they are scared to say anything. [Professional wrestler] John Cena and other celebrities, they are so worried about the business side of it. I tell people to stand up for what’s right. Your values are more important than any money you can ever make from China.” -via New York Post / December 8, 2021