At one point, Enes Kanter Freedom was getting regular minutes in the NBA. As a rebounding and post-scoring big man, he carried a big spark off the bench and was capable of having some pretty big nights.
Nowadays, however, his role in the league is literally non-existent. After being let go from Boston, Freedom has essentially been exiled from the league. In a recent interview with Eurohoops, he revealed that he has yet to receive a single offer from any team, despite being unsigned and completely available.
Enes believes it all has to do with his decision to speak out against China.
“Free agency is open for one month. Normally, I should have already received offers. This summer I did not receive one single offer,” he noted updating his NBA status, roughly translated with a helping hand from Google. “The reason is that I spoke out against what is happening in China in recent months. The Chinese market is a big part of the NBA business. So, they will allow talking freely about anything you want until it hurts them financially. As soon as you do that, they will cut you. It is very sad and unacceptable.”
“I knew there was a price to pay. And I don’t regret my actions. These things are bigger than me, bigger than the NBA, and bigger than basketball,” he added, “While I am playing in the USA, people are being killed all over the world or imprisoned or tortured in prisons. If this is the sacrifice I need to make, I am ready to live with it.”
Make no mistake about it: Enes isn’t trying to retire. He’s only 30 years old and thinks he still has years of productive years left. Just last season, he was averaging 11.2 points per game for the Blazers.
“I am 30 years old. I can play another five or six years. I don’t intend to retire,” he explained. “I can’t go back to Turkey, that would be a one-way ticket. Keep in mind that I can’t enter Turkey and that Turkish Airlines is the name sponsor of EuroLeague.”
Unfortunately, Enes Freedom’s time in the league is likely at its end. After waging a war against China, he put the league in a rough position and basically forced Adam Silver’s hand.
Now, despite being in his prime, the guy isn’t getting another chance to play. Whether it’s due to the flaws of his game or his risky political agenda, it’s time for Enes to make peace with the fact that he’s probably never going back.
It’s a good thing he has already made enough money to last him a lifetime.
