American NBA star alleges bias after speaking out against China

WASHINGTON – Former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom says he was expelled from the league after speaking out against human rights abuses in China.

Freedom told Congress on Tuesday he was banned from the NBA after wearing shoes that pointed to Beijing’s persecution of Tibetans and Uyghurs.

The NBA’s Chinese affiliate is worth about $5 billion, and the league has come under criticism for its close ties to China.

Freedom said he was told that any Celtics game in China would be banned after he wore the shoes.

He then agreed to stop wearing the shoes. Other NBA players have gone out of their way to avoid any criticism of Beijing.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James famously pledged not to talk about China.

NBA officials have denied any connection between Freedom’s ejection from the Celtics and the league’s extensive business interests in China.

Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican and chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said it was clear why Freedom was no longer in the NBA.

The New Jersey congressman criticized “the NBA’s willingness to bow to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party”

He said this is an example of Beijing using its economic power to demand compliance with political ideologies from American corporations, Hollywood, and academic institutions.”

He said after learning more about the persecution of Uyghurs, which the U.S. government has labeled a genocide, and the plight of the Tibetans, he decided to write “Free Tibet” on his shoes before a Boston Celtics clash with the New York Knicks.

Freedom – who grew up in Türkiye said he never faced issues while speaking against the Turkish government’s rights abuses. He said in fact he had been even encouraged to do so.

But it changed when his focus turned to China.