Enes Kanter Challenges Joe Tsai’s Ownership of the Brooklyn Nets Over Ties to China, Accuses Him of ‘Pretty Much Funding Genocide’

Former NBA Star Enes Kanter Freedom does not believe Brooklyn Nets Owner Joe Tsai should be allowed to own an NBA team because of his connections to China.

Tsai bought 49% of the Nets in 2017, then in 2019, he purchased the rest of the 51% of the team from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Tsai co-founded a Chinese tech company called Alibaba Group.

Kanter Freedom played in the NBA for 11 seasons between the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trailblazers, and Boston Celtics. He has been very outspoken against countries with poor human rights records, including his home country of Turkey and China.

According to ESPN, NBA China is worth up to five billion dollars. The NBA owns 90 percent of the entity, and ESPN also owns five percent of the shares. Several state-controlled banks own the other five percent.

In 2021 Kanter changed his last name to Freedom after becoming a United States citizen.

Kanter Freedom was a guest on Dan Dakich‘s show Don’t @ Me on Outkick. They discussed whether or not Kanter Freedom felt he got blackballed from the NBA since no team would sign the 30-year-old, and if players would not be outspoken against China since they would be afraid of the exact consequence Kanter Freedom appeared to suffer.

“There are some couple other players started to slowly speak out about the things that have been happening with Nike,” Kanter Freedom said. “And they start to criticize the owner of Brooklyn Nets, Joe Tsai, who is pretty much funding the genocide in China.”

Kanter Freedom explained he did not understand how Tsai could own a team in the NBA with his connections to China and called on NBA commissioner Adam Silver to reevaluate Tsai’s ownership.

“Which I am shocked that he owns a team in NBA,” Kanter Freedom added. “Which I just don’t know how Adam Silver can give him an NBA team. A guy who is funding the genocide. The players know. I just hope they gain the courage to talk about it.”

Watch above via Don’t @ Me.