On the heels of NBA star LeBron James’ history-making performance, former professional player Enes Freedom is blasting the Los Angeles Lakers star over his connection to China.
“People get mad when I speak the truth because I’m the only athlete who actually speaks the truth,” tweeted Freedom. “I don’t care about your endorsement deals or your dirty money. You can NOT buy me #CCP! Don’t expect me to respect you or your game when your shoes are literally made by SLAVE KIDS.”
Freedom’s criticism came after James broke the NBA record for most career points scored.
The former Boston Celtics player has been a longtime critic of the NBA and James’ silence over the human rights atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party. Much of the condemnation of James centered on the star athlete’s partnership with Nike and its alleged use of slave labor to make its products.
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Nike, it should be noted, has denied its use of slave labor in China.
In November 2021, Freedom — a Swiss-born, Turkish-raised center who became an American citizen two years ago — tweeted, “Money over Morals for the ‘King,'” referring to James. “Sad [and] disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice,” he added.
Freedom, 30, also called out James in 2019, when he criticized then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s support for Hong Kong over the advances of the CCP. James said Morey was “misinformed” and “not educated” on Hong Kong.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has praised Freedom, who he invited as a guest to the State of the Union address Tuesday evening.
“Enes Freedom loves the USA,” tweeted McCarthy. “He understands freedom. And he is willing to sacrifice his job in order to stand up against the Chinese Communist Party.”
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