Enes Kanter Freedom Pulls Out of CPAC: ‘I Need to Figure Out This NBA Stuff First’
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Enes Kanter Freedom pulled out of a planned appearance at CPAC on Tuesday, less than a week after the center was waived by the Houston Rockets.
The NBA star became a U.S. citizen last November, and subsequently changed his last name to Freedom.
Prior to that, he had accused some league peers of kowtowing to China.
Kanter generated headlines when he went after league star LeBron James. Freedom opined on Twitter that James’ only authority is China’s oppressive government.
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 FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) November 18, 2021
Last week, the Swiss-born Turkish-American was confirmed as a speaker for this year’s CPAC by Matt Schlapp.
CONFIRMED: @EnesFreedom pic.twitter.com/aapijOVmv7
— Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) February 7, 2022
But the Rockets soon let him go just minutes after acquiring him from the Boston Celtics via trade last Thursday.
Heavy reported some in the league shared doubts after Freedom was waived that he would be able to land another contract in the NBA:
Freedom now seems to be highlighting the uncertainty over whether he will get another NBA job by the fact he has been outspoken on a number of social issues. He has been retweeting comments from conservative legislators who argue he is being punished for his stances against the government in China.
…
Said another team’s GM, “I don’t know if anyone else signs him. Maybe not. I think from a basketball standpoint, it’s really questionable. I’m not sure if any of the other stuff will even come into play. I don’t think he won’t get a job because of anything he’s said or done. I think he just doesn’t guard, and the game is changing. He plays a lot older than he really is.”
Following his release from Houston, and reports about the future of his playing career, David Weigel of the Washington Post reported Tuesday that Freedom said he would not be attending CPAC.
Enes Freedom tells me that he’s not going to speak at CPAC, as previously announced.
“I need to figure out this NBA stuff first,” he says. “So I won’t be going to CPAC now.”
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) February 15, 2022
