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Former Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom is no longer in the NBA, and the big man believes politics played a role in that outcome. Freedom is not shy about speaking out and condemning human rights abuses globally. But according to him, his recent focus on China is making the league blackball him.
Before the Feb. 10 trade deadline, Freedom played limited minutes for the Celtics and was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets. The Celtics are a defensive-oriented team, but that is not one of his strong suits, despite him being an adept scorer and rebounder.
That could be one of the reasons for his limited role with the team, even though he had an impressive 2020-21 season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Freedom did not play a single game for the Rockets before he was waived.
Although Freedom declined an interview via phone or in person, he revealed to New York Times' Sopan Deb via text message that he feels the NBA is colluding to keep him out:
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize why I got little playing time and was released. But it does take people with a conscience to speak out and say it’s not right.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver had earlier made the league's stance on Freedom's activism clear.
“We spoke directly about his activities this season, and I made it absolutely clear to him that it was completely within his right to speak out on issues that he was passionate about.”
Nonetheless, some share the same views as Freedom. Jeffrey Ngo, a pro-democracy activist, believes his continuous criticism of China has contributed to Freedom's current plight:
“All of a sudden, there’s all this attention and people telling him to stop talking about it or there would be consequences. And then those consequences came.”
The big man has said he is not ready to retire yet, which means he will be trying to find his way back into the league. The 29-year-old could still be a significant contributor if given the opportunity.
Enes Freedom has called out several NBA superstars in the past
Freedom's activism has not only been directed towards governments, as he has also called out NBA superstars. Last year, while attacking the Chinese government, he also had words for league legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
The former Celtic implored both iconic figures to address the issue of slave labor in China, especially because of their affiliations with shoe brand Nike. It resulted in a back-and-forth with James, who believed Freedom was only in search of publicity.
