Boston Celtics center and human rights advocate Enes (Kanter) Freedom finally seemed to get the anticipated blowback for his attacks against China and the NBA when it was revealed that he received zero votes for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland.
However, an NBA spokesperson told Larry Brown Sports that the 10-year veteran’s zero vote tally was due to a technical error related to his name change from “Kanter” to “Freedom.”
After showing zero votes on Thursday, Freedom was removed from the voting page before showing up later with 8,834 total fan votes.
On Thursday, the NBA revealed that @EnesFreedom received ZERO total fan votes for the All-Star Game despite even the most unknown players getting several hundred to several thousand votes each.
On Friday, his name was deleted from the NBA’s voting page altogether. @LBSports pic.twitter.com/7iOJ1kyKoF
— Jason Squilliams (@JasonSquilliams) January 28, 2022
The initial zero votes caused speculation since Freedom and Georgios Kalaitzakis, a Milwaukee Bucks rookie, were the only hoopers to not receive a single fan vote.
Freedom is averaging career lows in points and minutes this season for Boston while taking his advocacy for human rights, specifically in China, to the hardwood.
The 29-year-old Turkish native, who recently became an American citizen, has called out the NBA, Nike, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James for supporting slave labor in China.
Friday, Freedom added to the fire, tweeting the names of active NBA players sponsored by Chinese companies that the U.S. government and human rights organizations have accused of using slave labor from China’s Xinjiang region.
Among those listed were the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson and the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler.
These are all @NBA players who are sponsored by Chinese companies that produce their products with slave labor.
Unfortunately many sports media outlets & journalists are controlled by #NBA
Have some courage & ask these athletes about their ignorance.
👇https://t.co/yGeXG7cUs8 pic.twitter.com/q4g38Vta02
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 28, 2022
The U.S. State Department has extensive documentation of torture, involuntary sterilization, mass surveillance, family separation, religious suppression, and forced labor enacted on the Muslim minority Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Last December President JoeBiden signed a bipartisan bill, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, banning goods from the Xinjiang region.
Still, despite the league’s and players’ support for social justice and Black Lives Matter, most have stayed mum on China’s genocide, except for Enes Freedom.
“Shame on the athletes that are aware of what is happening — who have affiliations with brands that get Xinjiang cotton,” Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, told ESPN. “And we don’t use the word genocide lightly. … It is a genocide.”
