Then-Utah Jazz heart Enes Kanter (0) high-fives teammates after beating Portland throughout NBA motion in Salt Lake Metropolis on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. Kanter, who has performed for a number of NBA groups since then, is having bother discovering a spot on a group. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Former Utah Jazz heart Enes Kanter Freedom doesn’t count on to play within the NBA once more or in Europe due to his outspoken views on human rights abuses in China and different locations all over the world.
However the Turkish massive man did not too long ago get some calls from the WWE about turning into knowledgeable wrestler.
“I’m not joking,” he mentioned Friday at Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart’s annual safety convention in Salt Lake Metropolis. Freedom was amongst a number of audio system speaking about world points, significantly China.
One of many wrestlers informed him he might speak publicly about no matter he needed aside from Saudi Arabia. Freedom mentioned he was informed what China is to the NBA, Saudi Arabia is to the WWE.
“It’s too late,” he mentioned. “I already talked about them.
Freedom final performed within the NBA with the Boston Celtics this previous season. He was traded to the Houston Rockets proper earlier than the league commerce deadline in February. Houston waived the massive man a short while later, and he has not heard from any NBA group. At 30 years previous, he mentioned he might play one other 5 - 6 years.
“Free company is open for one month. Usually, I ought to have already acquired presents. This summer time I didn't obtain one single provide,” Freedom informed EuroHoops by way of Google Translate, SB Nation reported this week. “The reason being that I spoke out in opposition to what is going on in China in latest months. The Chinese language market is a giant a part of the NBA enterprise. So, they'll enable speaking freely about something you need till it hurts them financially. As quickly as you do this, they'll lower you. It is vitally unhappy and unacceptable.”
Freedom mentioned he can’t play within the EuroLeague as a result of he can’t enter Turkey and Turkish Airways is a league sponsor.
On the convention, Freedom mentioned he not too long ago shaped a basis centered on encouraging freedom, democracy and social concord across the globe. He mentioned he additionally desires to make use of basketball to convey individuals collectively. He flew to Salt Lake Metropolis from Israel the place he placed on a basketball camp that included Israeli and Palestinian children.
“It was top-of-the-line basketball camps I had,” he mentioned. “This Jewish child was passing to the Muslim child and he was dribbling the ball and passing to the Christian child and he was scoring the ball, they usually had been high-fiving one another.”
Me, my Muslim, Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters within the Center East have a message for the Center Jap leaders and the remainder of the world!!
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) August 4, 2022
Please take heed to them very rigorously! pic.twitter.com/PQkFSvUNyN
Freedom mentioned no matter individuals’s tradition, faith or pores and skin shade, they should be taught to place their variations apart and discover what they've in widespread.
“We solely have one world to stay in. Till a kind of loopy billionaires finds one other planet to stay, this world is what we've got,” he mentioned.
Born in Switzerland and raised in his dad and mom’ native Turkey, he legally modified his identify to Enes Kanter Freedom to mark turning into a U.S. citizen final November.
Along with extra not too long ago expressing his views about China, Freedom criticized authoritarianism in Turkey early in his basketball profession a decade in the past. He has since been banned from Turkey.
The Jazz drafted Freedom with the third total decide within the 2011 draft. He spent 31⁄2 seasons in Utah earlier than being traded to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
After his launch from the Rockets in February, Freedom mentioned he didn’t get a telephone name or textual content message from one of many a whole bunch of teammates and coaches he had with 5 groups throughout his 11-year profession. He mentioned they had been apprehensive he would point out their names in interviews or in social media posts as somebody who supported him.
“I used to name them my brothers,” he mentioned. “The final six, seven months, that for me has been very lonely.”