Enes Freedom slams Kyrie Irving for signing with 'biggest dictatorship' : "This guy literally didn’t take the vaccine"

Kyrie Irving has been a rather controversial figure in the past. While he has drawn the ire of the media on several occasions, the Dallas Mavericks star drew attention from former NBA player Enes Freedom recently.

Kyrie Irving is undoubtedly a superstar in the NBA. His popularity and impact on the game validate this. However, this also implies that Irving wields a significant amount of influence when it comes to how he represents and expresses certain sentiments.

Last season, Irving faced a challenging situation after posting a controversial tweet that alluded to Anti-Semitic sentiments. The ensuing backlash not only led to his absence from the court but also caused him to lose endorsement deals.

Nike severed ties with Irving, leaving him as a free agent in the shoe market. Anta, a Chinese footwear brand, stepped in and offered a significant deal to sign Irving. Ultimately, he entered into a five-year partnership with Anta, promising substantial earnings.

While things are certainly looking up on the monetary side of things for Irving, he has drawn the attention of Enes Freedom. The former NBA player has been a rather loud voice when it comes to speaking out about issues in dealing with China. Needless to say, he had an opinion on Irving's dealings with Anta as well.

While speaking with Outkick on the matter, Enes Freedom said:

"This guy literally didn’t take the vaccine. Even if I lose what? Hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s courageous. Then you sign a shoe deal with Anta. Everybody knows about the slave labor and sweatshops. You’re signing a deal with the biggest dictatorship in the world."

Kyrie Irving wasn't the only NBA player who caught flak from Freedom in his statement. Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson was also named because of his shoe deal with Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning.

Freedom's activism has often been criticized in the past for being sensationalist in nature. While this may be another case of the same, he was fairly calm in his manner of expression.

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Kyrie Irving shows love to Luka Doncic ahead of FIBA World Cup

Kyrie Irving showed love to his teammate Luka Doncic on his Instagram story for his tremendous performance against Greece during an exhibition game. Doncic's cold staredown certainly deserved some praise as the Slovenian magician continues to shine for his national team.

This is a promising sight for Mavericks fans as the duo will need to build chemistry ahead of the new season.

While Irving won't be playing for the USA contingent himself, he hasn't stopped showing support to his home side. A recent tweet went viral for disclosing the struggles the men's team faced against the USA Select Team in practice. Irving clapped back by highlighting core aspects of the team building process.

The guard's faith in Team USA is certainly promising ahead of their campaign. With a lot of ground to cover, Team USA will certainly head into the 2023 FIBA World Cup with high expectations placed upon them.