Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter made headlines with this political statement directed at LeBron James and Xi Jinping.
Enes Kanter is really wearing shoes with LeBron James being anointed by the Chinese President while guarding him right now!! pic.twitter.com/5FhG9lV9wa
— BLACK ADAM SCHEFTER (@B1ackSchefter) November 20, 2021
Boston Celtics Player Enes Kanter Wears Shoes Depicting LeBron James Bowing To China's President Xi Dressed Like Winnie The Pooh https://t.co/lMtbRvkIlN
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) November 20, 2021
NBA Player Wears Anti-LeBron James Shoes Against The Lakers, And LeBron's Reaction Is Very Arrogant https://t.co/Tf6TO9GU8P
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 27, 2021
I’m sorry, it appears I got Kanter’s name wrong.
His name is Mr. Freedom.
Mr. Enes Kanter Freedom!
According to reports, Mr. Freedom will legally change his name and become a United States citizen.
The 29-year-old NBA player and human rights activist makes it official after completing his citizenship oath ceremony.
Once the ceremony is complete, Kanter will be his middle name and Freedom his last name.
https://twitter.com/MatthewFoldi/status/1463608408947544080
Enes Kanter is legally changing his name to Enes Kanter Freedom and will become a U.S. citizen on Monday, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/TQrgo1RH80
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 28, 2021
Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter, an outspoken critic of human rights issues, will become a US citizen Monday and legally change his name to Enes Kanter Freedom.https://t.co/R2Hf8Yogfc
— CNN (@CNN) November 28, 2021
NBA player celebrates U.S. citizenship by changing name to Enes Kanter Freedom | Just The News https://t.co/okhUkQlqy0
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) November 29, 2021
REPORT: Enes Kanter legally changes his last name to "Freedom" ahead of his US Citizenship.
LeBron James should change his last name to Communism!
— Nick Adams (Alpha Male) (@NickAdamsinUSA) November 28, 2021
Outspoken human rights advocate and China slave labor critic Enes Kanter will legally change his last name to “Freedom” after becoming a U.S. citizen on Monday. https://t.co/P4nUCbZpVs
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) November 29, 2021
As The Epoch Times notes, the native of Turkey is banned from his home country due to his political views and had his Turkish passport revoked in 2017:
Kanter is a native of Turkey but has been banned from traveling to his home country by the administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan due to his political views. Turkey revoked his passport in 2017.
In recent months, Kanter has been vocal about human rights issues in China and criticized the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) treatment of the Uyghur people.
Rights groups, researchers, former residents, and some Western lawmakers say that Xinjiang authorities have facilitated forced labor by arbitrarily detaining around one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in a network of camps in the northwestern region.
Kanter also called China’s leader Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator,” leading to Celtics games being pulled from Chinese media.
Breitbart referenced the blowback Freedom received for his protests against the CCP:
Since Kanter began his public protests against Beijing, the Celtics have dramatically cut his playing time, resulting in a type of “shadow benching” to keep the star and his anti-communist shoes off the floor.
LeBron James has refused to directly address Kanter’s criticisms of his relationship with Nike and China, instead opting to accuse the soon-to-be American citizen of attempting to use his name to “create an opportunity for himself.”
Despite their stated commitment to human rights and social justice, neither LeBron nor the NBA has supported Kanter’s protests.
While I appreciate the stance against the CCP, I scoff at the notion of ‘Freedom’ being his last name of choice.
Kanter arrogantly ignores medical freedom and bodily autonomy.
Here’s what Mr. ‘Freedom’ said about a COVID-19 injection requirement for NBA players:
The Boston Celtics’ Enes Kanter on why he would back a vaccine requirement for NBA players:
“An unvaccinated player will be breathing on me during the game because we’re playing basketball! There’s contact all the time." pic.twitter.com/mCBQZxNxxo
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) September 28, 2021
https://twitter.com/goodblackdude/status/1465364400060002306
Enes Kanter is an intellectual lightweight who pushes Marxist fake activism with race & criticized LeBron James for not pushing the vaccine harder. https://t.co/pINUachhw9
— An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) November 28, 2021
Celtics' Enes Kanter rips LeBron James for failing to publicly advocate for COVID vaccine: 'It's ridiculous'https://t.co/B0KaqO7CtJ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 4, 2021
NBA’s @EnesKanter urges fellow players to get the vaccine: ‘We should definitely be a role model’
https://t.co/liavbbqPOG— Pamela Brown (@PamelaBrownCNN) October 3, 2021
Former Knicks center Enes Kanter 'couldn’t believe it' when LeBron James said he wouldn’t advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine despite being fully vaccinated.https://t.co/cwo8f10doe
— New York Post (@nypost) October 4, 2021
The New York Post contrasted the stances from each player regarding the COVID-19 injection:
James’ comments came on Sept. 28 during his Lakers media day interview when he confirmed that he was vaccinated but added that he had “skepticism” before ultimately deciding to receive the vaccination. He also said that it’s “not my job” to serve as an advocate for others to likewise become fully vaccinated.
“We’re talking about individuals’ bodies,” James said. “We’re not talking about something that’s political or racism or police brutality, things of that nature. We’re talking about people’s bodies and well-being. So I don’t feel like, for me personally, that I should get involved in what other people do for their bodies and their livelihoods.”
The NBA will not require vaccinations for players, according to ESPN, though 95% of players have reportedly been vaccinated as of Sept. 30. Protocols for unvaccinated players include daily testing, and those in New York and San Francisco could miss home games — and game checks — due to stricter vaccination requirements locally.
“I hope [James] can educate himself about this vaccination and inspire and encourage other people around him,” Kanter said.
Enes Kanter supports a COVID-19 jab mandate for NBA players and wants high-profile athletes to push the medical experiment harder on the African American community.
Yet, he wants us to call him Mr. Freedom?
No thanks!
He doesn’t get that privilege in my book.
Kanter is a circus act and doesn’t appreciate real freedom.
My hunch is he’s all for show or a Psy-op.
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