The Enes Kanter saga: All you need to know about his protest, the breakdown of the issue, and how the NBA world has reacted to it
Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics is in the headlines once again after calling out Michael Jordan for caring too much about his shoes rather than caring for the community. Kanter has been busy off the court with his protests as an activist and humanitarian, but when and how did it all begin?
In an appearance on CNN Newsroom with Pamela Brown, Kanter had some words for Jordan, who is considered the greatest and richest basketball player in the world. The Turkish-born big man called out His Airness for not doing anything for the Black community.
"Michael Jordan has not done anything for the Black community because he cares too much about his shoe sales all over the world and America, and I feel like we need to call out these athletes and not be scared about who they are," Kanter said.
Michael Jordan was just the tip of the iceberg in the Enes Kanter saga of 2021. He has also called out LeBron James, even the NBA, Nike, the POTUS, as well as the People's Republic of China and its president Xi Jinping.
When did the Enes Kanter saga start?
The Enes Kanter saga of 2021 started on October 21st when he called out Chinese president Xi Jinping for human rights violations in Tibet on Twitter and his other social media platforms. Kanter lobbied for freedom of Tibet from Chinese rule.
"I'm here to add my voice and speak out about what is happening in Tibet. Under the Chinese government's brutal rule, Tibetan people's basic rights and freedoms are non-existent," Kanter said.
Dear Brutal Dictator XI JINPING and the Chinese Government
Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people!
#FreeTibet https://t.co/To4qWMXK56
However, the Chinese government did not like Enes Kanter's comments. Chinese social media platform Weibo has blocked his name, while Tencent stopped showing Boston Celtics games from their streaming service.
Despite the backlash from the People's Republic of China, it has not stopped Kanter from protesting against the powerhouse nation. Kanter has also called out China for their alleged genocide of the Uyghur people and to give freedom to Hong Kong and Taiwan. He also wants the 2022 Winter Olympics to not be held in Beijing, China.
The 29-year-old player even led a rally in front of Capitol Hill in Washington DC last October 30th. He once again called for China to stop forced labor of Uyghur people, as well as encouraging the U.S. Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
I love seeing Tibetans, Uyghurs, Taiwanese, Hongkongers, everyone!!
All standing in solidarity urging for one simple thing: Freedom!!!
This is the beginning of a new generation of hope.
#FreeTibet
#FreeUyghurs
#FreeHongKong
#StandWithTaiwan https://t.co/gzWST9tHv8
Who else has Enes Kanter called out?
Besides Michael Jordan and Xi Jinping, Enes Kanter has called out a few people during this saga. Here's a list of people and entities the Boston Celtics star has called out since October 2021.
LeBron James
On November 19th, Kanter called out LeBron James of the LA Lakers for turning a blind eye on issues with slave labor involving Nike. James has a lifetime contract with the shoe giant and Kanter has pointed out The King's lack of knowledge or care on the issue. He even used the "shut up and dribble" line that Laura Ingraham used in 2018 to criticize 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? https://t.co/YUA8rGYeoZ
Nike
On October 26th, Kanter invited Nike chairman emeritus Phil Knight to fly out to China to visit the company's alleged slave labor camps. He also invited Michael Jordan and LeBron James, Nike's two biggest stars, to visit China. Nike has been familiar with slave labor accusations following the infamous "Nike Sweatshops" scandal.
To the owner of @Nike, Phil Knight
How about I book plane tickets for us
and let's fly to China together.
We can try to visit these SLAVE labor
camps and you can see it with your
own eyes.
@KingJames
@Jumpman23
you guys are welcome to come too.
#EndUyghurForcedLabor https://t.co/241bg887JO
US President Joe Biden
Enes Kanter has also called out POTUS Joe Biden for his scheduled meeting with Xi Jinping. Kanter wanted the US president to prioritize human rights and not pat China on the back. For what it's worth, the two heads of state had a "healthy debate" regarding China's alleged human rights violations, as well as issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, per CNN.
President @JoeBiden & Dictator
Xi Jinping are scheduled to speak
@POTUS
Stop playing games with bullies &
do what you promised to the world!
Prioritize Human Rights!
Will @JoeBiden ask about Uyghur Genocide or assault on Tibetans & HK?
Or will they pat each other on the back? https://t.co/kKwVNmb9ce
NBA
In an exclusive interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN, Enes Kanter called out the NBA for not releasing any statements on the issues he has pointed out. Kanter acknowledged that he has spoken with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, but he's disappointed by the lack of statements from the league.
"If they were really supporting me, they would have put something out there. They would have put out some kind of statement," Kanter said.
Who inspired Enes Kanter to speak out?
In the same interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN, Enes Kanter revealed that the NBA was the reason he started his protest. He was inspired by the league, Adam Silver and the players for speaking out on social issues and injustices over the past few years.
However, it's not the first time the former Portland Trail Blazers center has used his voice for activism. Kanter publicly criticized Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for corruption, human rights violations and many more back in 2013 when he was still a member of the Utah Jazz.
This is a picture of #DictatorErdogan regime issuing my 10th arrest warrant for me in the last 4 years.
The reason is me standing up for Human Rights and Political Prisoners who are getting tortured and raped.
Hey @RTErdogan
I don’t care if it’s 10 or 10,000
I’m NOT giving up https://t.co/dN06OwRluo
Turkey even revoked Kanter's citizenship for his comments. His family was targeted, and there was even an arrest warrant and extradition request for him. It got so bad that Kanter does not travel internationally for fear of retaliation from Turkey.
Agencies such as the FBI and Interpol have been involved in Kanter's issues with his birth country. He was stateless until June 2021 when he became an American citizen.
How the NBA world has reacted to Enes Kanter's off-court actions
The NBA world has been silent on the Enes Kanter issue since it began. Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka denied that Kanter's lack of playing time was due to his protest against China. Udoka said that players' time on the court and rotations are "strictly based on basketball."
Meanwhile, LeBron James has finally responded to Kanter's accusations after the LA Lakers lost to the Celtics last November 19th. James did not directly answer the accusations, but mentioned that he's open to talking to Kanter personally. However, that did not happen despite meeting each other in the hallway with Kanter ignoring James.
"I don't give too many people my energy. He's definitely not someone I would give my energy to. He's trying to use my name to create an opportunity for himself. I definitely won't comment too much on that. He's always had a word or two to say in my direction, and as a man, if you've got an issue with somebody, you really come up to him. He had his opportunity tonight. I saw him in the hallway, and he walked right by me," James said.
Finally, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas mentioned Enes Kanter in a lengthy Instagram post about the LeBron James incident with Isaiah Stewart. Arenas said that when Kanter went after James during the 2016-17 season, Turkey began hunting him down, implying that The King had something to do with it.