High profiles athletes often make “public service announcements” (PSAs) for this or that. Don’t use drugs. Get vaccinated. Stay in school. Then there is Boston Celtic center Enes Kanter, who perhaps issued the “Mother of all PSAs” when he warned that the Chinese Communist regime’s leader, Xi Jinping, was a “brutal dictator.”
Which of course is quite true—if inconvenient to utter.
The Chinese retaliated by stopping the streaming of Celtic games. But they’ve done far worse, to include infecting the world with COVID viruses, squashing freedom in Hong Kong, committing genocide against its Uyghur Muslim minority, and threatening world war with its Taiwan policies. The forced abortions of millions of female Chinese fetuses were certainly “brutal”—to use Kanter’s word.
But the NBA has extensive financial dealings with the Chinese. And Nike and other companies profit by exploiting China’s workforce. So criticize China at your own peril.
Former Houston Rocket executive Daryl Morey found that out the hard way when he tweeted his support for Hong Kong residents victimized by Chinese thuggery. With no appreciation or understanding about free speech, the Chinese raised hell and NBA toadies came down hard on …. Daryl Morey!
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, superstar LeBron James and others showed their true colors, which were greenish in nature—not Celtic green but the color of money. They clearly sought to placate their Communist friends in China, as they did later with BLM Marxists.
But after the negative public response to its horrific appeasement, the NBA tried to walk things back.
Silver acknowledged that “our initial statement left people angered, confused, or unclear on who we are or what the NBA stands for.”
Duh!
Many folks seek to separate politics from sports. Celtic fans of all ideological stripes go to the Garden to see the world’s best hoopsters—not BLM logos. But sometimes players and fans must open their eyes to things beyond box scores, standings, or trading deadlines.
Are the likes of the NBA, Nike, et al morally complicit by partnering with the vile Chinese regime? Many think so. And some say so.
Like Enes Kanter.
Kanter, who once grabbed 30 rebounds in a game, has also taken shots at Turkish strongman Recep Erdogan, another thug. The problem for Kanter is that he is of Turkish descent. So the Turks put out an arrest warrant for him. But of far more concern is the fact that Kanter has innocent family and friends in Turkey who are now at risk.
If nothing else, all this should help remind us of the precious freedom we have in America.
And speaking of “Freedom,” that’s Kanter’s new name. When he became an American citizen on November 29, he legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom.
Pro athletes are often cited for their “courage,” whether it involves playing on a sprained ankle or admitting to a substance abuse problem. But if you want to ponder a real sports “Profile in Courage” then look no further than Enes Kanter Freedom.
The Boston Celtics have retired a record 23 numbers and I can name the player associated with each number. They’re my heroes. But the next time I’m at the Garden I’ll purchase a shirt with the unretired number of “13.”
That’s Freedom’s number.