Enes Kanter Freedom may not currently have an NBA team to play for, but he may have a Nobel Peace Prize to his name in the future.
On Wednesday, The Atlantic published a story detailing Kanter Freedom’s advocacy for human rights, and reported that “a member of the Norwegian Parliament put his name up for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“I’m honored and humbled to received the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Kanter Freedom said on Twitter. “Sometimes taking a stand is more important than your next paycheck.”
I’m honored and humbled to received the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. @NobelPrize
Sometimes taking a stand is more important than your next paycheck.https://t.co/ZjAPiHUoaD
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) February 16, 2022
Last week, Kanter Freedom was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Houston Rockets, who quickly waived him. Kanter Freedom has yet to be picked up by another NBA team.
In October 2021, Kanter Freedom began using his platform to advocate for human rights across the world by calling on the Chinese government to “Free Tibet” and by criticizing the communist country’s “brutal rule.”
What followed was the Chinese streaming service Tencent blacking out all Celtics games on the platform, as well as removing replays of previous Celtics games. But the response from China didn’t deter Kanter Freedom, as he continued to post videos and messages to his social media accounts calling out the Chinese government for their record of human rights abuses.
Kanter Freedom has been particularly outspoken on the treatment of the Uyghur Muslims, calling on Chinese President Xi Jinping to “stop the genocide” of the Uyghur people.
He hasn’t been afraid to go against the face of the NBA, with Kanter Freedom taking to social media in November with a message for LeBron James.
“Money over Morals for the ‘King’ Crown. Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice,” Kanter said, referring to James. “They really do ‘shut up & dribble’ when Big Boss [Flag of China] says so. Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research?”
He later offered to sit down with James for a “very uncomfortable conversation.”
“I don’t know if he’s educated enough, but I’m here to educate him and I’m here to help him, because it’s not about money. It’s about morals, principles and values. It’s about what you stand for. There are way bigger things than money. If LeBron stopped making money now, his grandkids and grandkids and grandkids can have the best life ever.”
His campaign against China and its record on human rights abuses has gained nationwide attention, and two NBA Hall of Famers joined Kanter Freedom in speaking out on China’s human rights atrocities.
Dominique Wilkins, a 15-year NBA veteran, joined Kanter Freedom in a December video criticizing the Chinese government for its treatment of the Uyghur people.
“History is written in two ways: One, you can sit on the couch and watch how it’s written. Or two, you can do something about it and write history,” Wilkins said in the video. “Which side are we taking?”
“What is happening to the Uyghur people is one of the worst human rights tragedies in the world today,” Wilkins continued. “We cannot stay silent.”
In a December 2 Substack video, NBA all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar applauded Kanter Freedom for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party’s “cruelty and inhumanity.”
“His protests have brought retaliation from China, who have pulled Celtics games from the streaming site Tencent,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I can’t help but admire Enes’ unapologetic bravery and commitment to the very freedom he celebrates with his name change. China is a big source of money for the NBA, so to criticize their cruelty and inhumanity is a bold step. He is just the kind of courageous American citizen we need.”
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
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