Boston Celtics games taken off Chinese television after Enes Kanter's comments on Xi Jinping over Tibet issue
Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is one of the most politically active players in the league, as he has come out on multiple occasions criticizing hatred against minorities. He has also made many adversaries due to these comments, which include the likes of the Turkish government.
Kanter recently criticized Chinese head of state Xi Jinping, as he posted a video on social media voicing his support of Tibetan independence. You can check out the video here -
Dear Brutal Dictator XI JINPING and the Chinese Government
Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people!
#FreeTibet https://t.co/To4qWMXK56
As a result, the Boston Celtics games were removed from sports app Tencent Sports on Wednesday, as well as the highlights of their season opener against the New York Knicks. Information for future Boston Celtics games is also not available on the app, which clearly indicates that the government has discouraged the telecast of any Boston Celtics-related content.
Enes Kanter is likely to play a critical role for the Boston Celtics for the 2021-22 NBA season
Enes Kanter got signed with the Boston Celtics in the summer as a backup center, and he is expected to share minutes with Robert Williams III and Al Horford at the 5. Kanter was last with the Celtics in the 2019-20 season, after which the Turkish international joined the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds per game in the 2020-21 season, playing 24 minutes per game.
The Boston Celtics go into the 2021-22 NBA season as dark-horse contenders, and they will need some serious production from their frontcourt. Kanter is an offensive-minded player who can chip in with some strong rebounding on both ends of the floor. He's always been solid on the offensive rebounding front and ended up with 3.9 offensive rebounds per game for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Opening Night was full of chaos and history down in New York. nba.com/celtics/game-r…
The Boston Celtics started their NBA season with a loss, as they were defeated by the New York Knicks by a scoreline of 138-134. The game went to overtime, where the duo of Julius Randle and Evan Fournier proved to be too much for the Celtics, who came so close only because of Jaylen Brown's 46-point, 9-rebound, and 6 assists effort.
Despite having a strong side, the Boston Celtics are set to face some strong competition to even qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. It already has three contenders in the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, and there are other teams that have strengthened in the summer as well.