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Boston Celtics star Enes Kanter is in no mood to let up. A few days after he criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping, the 29-year-old has now posted a new video, directing his ire at global sneaker major Nike.
In the video, Kanter questioned the forced labor factories that Uighurs are subjected to in China in order to produce Nike’s designer shoes.
Kanter began the video by highlighting Nike’s hypocrisy. He acknowledged that the company is making a positive impact in the US by standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and supporting Latino and LGBTQ communities. However, he pointed out that it has not done the same for oppressed minorities in China.
The star center said:
“Nike remains silent. You do not address police brutality in China. You do not speak about discrimination against the LGBTQ community. You do not say a word about the oppression of minorities in China. You are scared to speak up.”
Kanter went on to talk about the many Uighur forced labor factories in China, which he refers to as “modern-day slavery.” He explained how millions of Uighurs are forced to work in these factories for long hours and in poor living conditions:
“They have no freedom of expression, no freedom of religion and they are not even able to leave.”
Kanter pointed out that the entire apparel and footwear industry, which includes Nike, is tainted by Uighur forced labor. He added that while Nike claims they do not allow any forced labor in their supply chains, they haven’t committed to cutting ties with the Chinese government.
Kanter pointedly asked Nike:
“What are you doing about the slave labor that makes your shoes? The slave labor that makes you rich? To the owner of Nike, Phil Knight, I have a message for you – How about I book plane tickets for us? Let’s fly to China together. We can try to visit these slave labor camps and you can see with your own eyes.”
Kanter even extended an invitation to LeBron James and Michael Jordan, two of Nike’s biggest endorsers, to join him on the trip to China. He ended his video message with the words:
“Stop with hypocrisy. Stop the modern-day slavery now.”
Enes Kanter calls for Tibetan independence
Just last week, Enes Kanter lent his voice to the cause of the Tibetan people, asking for their freedom from Chinese oppression.
As a result of Kanter’s call, the Boston Celtics’ games were removed from the Chinese sports app, Tencent.
Kanter is a third overall pick from the 2011 NBA Draft. In his 10 NBA seasons, he has averaged 11.5 ppg and 7.9 RPG.
He has played for various NBA teams, including the Utah Jazz, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trail Blazers, the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics.
