Enes Kanter has been one of the most vocal players in the NBA when it comes to social injustice. The Celtics’ big man has made it a habit of calling out, players, fans, and institutions for things he feels are wrong and morally abhorrent.
Most recently, he called out LeBron James over his comments about his hesitation over getting the vaccine. Given the public health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kanter felt that LeBron was being irresponsible over his comments and spreading fear.
And he’s chosen to call out LeBron James once again, along with Michael Jordan, and the owner of Nike, Phil Knight over their manufacturing houses in China.
in a tweet that features Nike colorways that have the phrases “slave labor”, “modern-day slaves”, and “Nike hypocrites”, Kanter asked Knight, Jordan, and James to join him on a trip to China to see the state of the workers in their manufacturing houses, calling the ‘slave labor camps’.
To the owner of @Nike, Phil Knight
How about I book plane tickets for us
and let's fly to China together.
We can try to visit these SLAVE labor
camps and you can see it with your
own eyes.@KingJames @Jumpman23
you guys are welcome to come too.#EndUyghurForcedLabor pic.twitter.com/241bg887JO
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) October 26, 2021
To the owner of Nike, Phil Knight
How about I book plane tickets for us and let’s fly to China together. We can try to visit these SLAVE labor camps and you can see it with your own eyes.
you guys are welcome to come too.
Some may feel that it is unfair of Kanter to call out LeBron James and Michael Jordan in his message toward Nike. While James and Jordan have their own shoe line with the company, they are not actively involved in their business practices and how they make their decisions with regard to manufacturing.
As of now, none of the parties Kanter mentioned have made any kind of statement in response to his comments. And given Nike’s business investment and reliance on China, they are unlikely to make any response.
