Turkish NBA player Enes Kanter attacked LeBron James over his misinformed comments on China on Tuesday, October 19, 2019.
Kanter is not exactly on good terms with the Turkish government. Turkish authorities have constantly threaten to arrest and persecute him, which has limited his ability to play basketball outside of the United States.
As someone who has lived under an authoritarian government in the past, Kanter expressed his displeasure with James’ comments on the NBA/China drama. The Celtics center tweeted, “Wow dude!”
Subsequently, Kanter listed the injustices that he and his family have faced due to their opposition of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At the end of his post, Kanter concluded by saying, “FREEDOM ISN’T FREE.”
-Haven’t seen or talked to my family 5 years
-Jailed my dad
-My siblings can’t find jobs
-Revoked my passport
-International arrest warrant
-My family can’t leave the country
-Got Death Threats everyday
-Got attacked, harassed
-Tried to kidnap me in IndonesiaFREEDOM IS NOT FREE
Kanter’s reaction came during James’ comments about Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s support of Hong Kong protesters being “uneducated.”James has engaged in his own form of virtue signaling by criticizing President Donald Trump in the past. When it comes to a country that has actual authoritarian policies, however, James remains as silent as a mouse.
Our society is already far too political, so it would be best that athletes like LeBron James stay in their lane and stop commenting about political subjects they don’t know about.
