Enes Kanter Says NBA Threatened Him For Wearing “Free Tibet” Shoes

Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter is afraid to voice his political activism, which has gotten him into some trouble in the past.

Earlier in the year it was announced that China had blocked all Celtics games from their airwaves after Kanter sent out a pro-Tibet tweet.

China Pulls Celtics Games After Boston Big Man Enes Kanter Put Out Pro-Tibet Messages On Social Mediahttps://t.co/NCBQmQT1CP

— SideAction (@SideActionHQ) October 22, 2021

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During an appearance on CNN, Enes Kanter opened up about his activism for Tibet. And shared a story about the NBA getting involved in him using his voice.

According to Kanter, two NBA employees came up to him to plead with him to take off his “Free Tibet” shoes that he was wearing prior to the Celtics-Knicks game on Opening Night.

Wow. Enes Kanter says the NBA threatened to ban him for wearing Free Tibet sneakers pic.twitter.com/j3gYTgNGMT

— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) November 11, 2021

Enes Kanter would go on to clarify his stance that he’s received confirmation from Adam Silver that he’s not breaking any NBA rules with his activism. But Kanter would also say that he doesn’t necessarily feel that he’s been supported by the league in his stance against China.

Kanter called the country’s ban of Celtics games “unacceptable” given the circumstances. And he wished the league would have released a statement to condemn China for blocking the games from their fans.

Props to Enes Kanter for using his voice to advocate for human rights all over the world.

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