Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter said he was pressured by the NBA to stop criticizing the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) and threatened to ban him if he continued.
During an interview on CNN, Kanter said two league officials “begged” him to remove his “Free Tibet” shoes before a game. The unnamed officials also said Kanter could be banned from the NBA if he didn’t, despite telling him he wasn’t breaking the rules.
“I am for justice and freedom. It doesn’t matter who it’s for or against. I have been talking about all the human rights violations and injustices happening in Turkey for ten years, and I did not get one phone call,” said Kanter, who was raised in Turkey. “I talk about China one day and I was getting a phone call every two hours.”
