Enes Kanter Slams LeBron and Nike’s Silence on Slave Labor: They ‘Shut Up and Dribble When Big Boss China Says So’
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Enes Kanter has showed no signs of slowing down his crusade against human rights violations in China by targeting two NBA heavyweights for remaining silent on the issue.
For years, the NBA has attempted to avoid any controversy with China, looking the other way on human rights violations to avoid damaging their profitable partnership. In the last month, Kanter has blown up that silence, calling for a “free Tibet” and blasting Chinese president Xi Jinping as a “brutal dictator.” Now Kanter is taking aim at LeBron James.
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 Kanter (@EnesKanter) November 18, 2021
“Money over morals for the King,” Kanter tweeted Thursday afternoon referring to James. “Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice. They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss [China] says so. Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research?”
Kanter criticized James’ partnership with Nike and tagged them both in the tweet, slamming them for profiting off sneakers that are allegedly produced by Chinese companies using slave labor. Nike remains one of the NBA’s biggest sponsors as both organizations feed off their partnerships with China.
Kanter’s “did you educate yourself about the slave labor” line was a direct shot at the criticism LeBron faced in 2019, when then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey busted through NBA boundaries to support Hong Kong’s independence.
After China responded harshly to a tweet from Morey, LeBron claimed the NBA executive “wasn’t educated on the situation,” in Hong Kong.
Last month, Kanter offered to take James, Michael Jordan and Nike co-founder Phil Knight to China where they can “visit these slave labor camps and you can see it with your own eyes.”
James has been a social activist throughout his career, speaking out against racial injustices within the United States, but like most NBA personnel, he’s chosen to avoid global issues and remain silent on China’s deplorable human rights violations.
