Enes Kanter Freedom was one of the most polarizing players in the NBA in recent memory. Kanter was most notably critical of the Chinese government toward the end of his time in the NBA and repeatedly called out Nike for their alleged practices in the country.
As part of that campaign, Kanter wore Air Jordans that said ‘Made With Slave Labor’ and ‘Hypocrite Nike’ in a game between his Boston Celtics and the then-Michael Jordan-owned Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 25, 2021. He was making quite a statement with that and revealed during a recent appearance on the Digital Social Hour Podcast that his agent had a stern warning for him afterward.
“I wore Michael Jordan shoes, Concord, I mean, it’s one of the famous ones,” Kanter said. “And we played against Charlotte, and who owns Charlotte? Michael Jordan. So I put it on his shoes, ‘Made with Slave Labor.’
“And I remember when I walked out, the cameras were showing my shoes, and after that game, my agent called me,” Kanter continued. “And he said, ‘Listen, man, I work for you, I don’t work for the NBA, so I’m gonna be honest with you. If you say another word, you’re never going to be able to dribble a basketball on this court ever again. You’re 30 years old, you can play another five, six years. That means you’re about to lose between $30 million-40 million. If you’re ready for it, keep going. If not, then you better shut up.’
“I said, ‘okay,'” Kanter added. “I hang up the phone. Never talked with him again.”
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Kanter, whom the Utah Jazz had selected with the third pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, was willing to live with the consequences. He wanted to bring attention to claims about the plight of Uyghurs in China. It was alleged that Nike shoes were being manufactured with forced Uyghur labor in the country.
Whether Kanter’s speaking out played a part or not, he wouldn’t be in the NBA for much longer. The Celtics traded him to the Houston Rockets in February 2022, and he was waived not long after. The big man hasn’t played in the league since.
Kanter, who averaged 11.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in his NBA career, claimed in 2023 that he had been blackballed from the league. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has denied that being the case, but the 33-year-old isn’t buying it.
Enes Kanter Believes Michael Jordan Only Cares About Money
Kanter has fired a lot of shots at LeBron James in recent years, but he holds him in higher regard than Jordan. In a recent interview with Emmanuel Romanous, he ripped the Chicago Bulls icon.
“You know, I criticize LeBron a lot, but at least he talks about some of the problems that are happening in America, and he actually tried to do something, things that are bigger than basketball. He opened up a school or whatever. Jordan. Nothing. He doesn’t care about anything. The only thing he cares about is just making money and selling shoes. That’s it.”
It would be unfair to say Jordan has done nothing, as he has undertaken a lot of philanthropic activities over the years. Most recently, he expanded his healthcare initiatives by opening a fourth health clinic for uninsured patients in North Carolina.
