Boston Celtics center Enes Kantor has gained the respect of millions of Americans for speaking out against China’s sickening human rights abuses. He has bucked the growing pressure on Hollywood, the NBA, and other industries to toe the Chinese Communist Party’s line in exchange for access to the 1.4 billion-person market.
The Turkish-American basketball star sent a powerful message to LeBron James, who openly covers for the Beijing regime, during his team’s Friday night win against the Los Angeles Lakers at Boston’s TD Garden.
Kantor wore a pair of shoes painted with images intended to humiliate the four-time NBA champion. One shows “King James” bowing before Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is shown placing a crown on the star player’s head. Behind James are bags of cash.
The day before the game, Kantor posted photos of the shoes on Twitter along with corresponding captions for each.
Money over Morals for the “King” ?
Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice
They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss ?? says so
Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research? pic.twitter.com/YUA8rGYeoZ
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) November 18, 2021
Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter wore sneakers tonight — while playing against the Lakers — with LeBron James bowing down while China’s dictator puts a crown on his head. pic.twitter.com/E1L4ZyPWrF
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 20, 2021
Questioned by a reporter about his opponent’s shoes after the game, a very unamused LeBron James replied, “I think if you know me, you know I don’t give too many people my energy. He’s definitely not someone I would give my energy to. He’s trying to use my name to create an opportunity for himself. I definitely won’t comment too much on that.”
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“He’s always had a word or two to say in my direction, and as a man, if you’ve got an issue with somebody, you really come up to him. He had his opportunity tonight. I seen him in the hallway, and he walked right by me.”
James may be the greatest player in the NBA today, but in terms of courage and integrity, Kantor stands head and shoulders above him.
Rather than using his enormous platform to effect change in the world, James is kowtowing to a communist dictatorship. In the face of China’s crimes against humanity, he chooses to remain silent.
When Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for the Hong Kong protesters in October 2019, James’ spinelessness was on full display. He told reporters: “I don’t want to get into a … feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.”
Lakers’ LeBron James on NBA’s China controversy: “I don’t want to get into a … feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.” pic.twitter.com/KKrMNU0dKR
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 15, 2019
Enes Kantor may lose his career over his criticism of the Chinese regime. The Daily Caller’s sports editor, David Hookstead, explains in the clip below that Kantor went from playing 24 minutes per game last season to just six minutes per game this season. This is not a coincidence, he explains to viewers.
NBA player Enes Kanter spoke out about China’s crime and he’s now barely playing.
Does anyone think this is a coincidence? The NBA will do anything to please China, including punishing the only player brave enough to speak up. pic.twitter.com/WekrYwn8GG
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) November 17, 2021
“He will probably never play in the NBA again after this season,” Hookstead said. “Because of what he said about China, Nike, and the relationship with the communist dictatorship. And that’s true courage.”
Which player do you consider to be the most courageous?
At any rate, it’s fair to say that these shoes won’t be getting a close-up in China.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.