The Boston Celtics signed Enes Kanter to their roster this offseason to add depth in the big men department, and so far, he has managed to get China to stop airing their basketball games after he ripped Chinja’s Xi as a ‘brutal dictator.’
Enes Kanter is now calling out Nike for what he sees as a “silent” response to the mistreatment on minorities in China.
The NBA big man posted a video on Twitter Monday and said Nike was not doing enough to protest injustice in China.
“Your company says that you’re making a positive impact in our communities,” Kanter said. “And that is true. Yes, you are. Here, in the United States, Nike stands with Black Lives Matter. Nike stands with Stop Asian Hate. Nike stands with the Latino community. And Nike stands with the LGBTQ community … But when it comes to China, 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.”
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He wasn’t finished as he called out LeBron and Michael Jordan as well.
“Nike likes to say, ‘just do it. Well, what are you doing about the slave labor that makes your shoes? That slave labor that makes you rich?”
“To the owner of Nike, Phil Knight, I have a message for you. How about I book a plane ticket 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”.
“LeBron James and Michael Jordan, you guys are welcome to come too.”
“Stop with hypocrisy. Stop with modern-day slavery, now.”
It was just a few years ago when China cut ties with the NBA over social media comments made by Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey in support of Hong Kong protesters. According to reports, there were over “hundreds of millions” lost by the league due to this issue.
Enes Kanter recent ranting is definitely not helping things, but they wouldn’t dare come out publicly to tell him to stop.
Kanter has a lot to lose by doing this, but he simply does not care and wants better for people.
