Enes Kanter At Center Of Further NBA-China Rift
The Boston Celtics is the second team whose games will not be streamed in China after comments from Enes Kanter.
The center, whose Turkish passport was revoked due to dissidence, posted a video in support of Tibet on Wednesday.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin says Enes Kanter was ‘trying to get attention’. He added that his comments ‘were not worth refuting’.
“We will never accept those attacks to discredit Tibet’s development and progress,” said the spokesman.
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Enes Kanter called Chinese president Xi Jinping a ‘brutal dictator’ while wearing a Dalai Lama T shirt.
“I’m here to add my voice and speak out about what is happening in Tibet. Under the Chinese government’s brutal rule, Tibetan people’s basic rights and freedoms are nonexistent,” Kanter said.Â
The news comes almost two years after then-Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeted in support for democracy in Hong Kong.
Chinese state TV stopped showing NBA games altogether for a time. Philadelphia 76ers games are still not streamed in China.
The Washington, D.C.-based office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama released a statement to ESPN later in the day that read in part: “We are thankful to Enes Kantor, NBA player for speaking in support of Tibet. In a two minutes video message he summed up the existential threat faced by the Tibetans under Chinese communist rule. Every word that he said is true.”
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Kanter is no stranger to controversy or activism, having publicly criticized Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. He is indicted in his home country of Turkey, which seeks his extradition. He is charged with belonging to an armed terrorist group, which he denies.
The NBA is just getting back on its feet after the Covid-19 pandemic and trying to put a lid on the vaccine debate. Another China headache is the last thing it needs.
