Meet the NBA player who is taking on China and LeBron James in the name of human rights

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom has called the U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics "good but not enough," praised the Women's Tennis Association for suspending tournaments in China over safety concerns for Olympian Peng Shuai, protested against the Chinese concentration camps of the Uyghur Muslim minority and denounced the dictatorship in Turkey, which revoked his Turkish passport in 2017 and then imprisoned his father.          

USA TODAY talked to Freedom recently about becoming a U.S. citizen on Nov. 29 and changing his last name from Kanter; wearing basketball shoes with messages criticizing Nike and LeBron James over China; and his future with the NBA now that he's eligible to be traded on Wednesday. His conversation with Editorial Board member Thuan Le Elston has been edited for length and clarity:

Q. Because my husband is a fan of the Portland Trail Blazers, I started following them, too. And when you were playing for them before the Celtics, I was fascinated by how you, as a Muslim, have to fast every year for Ramadan even while training and playing basketball. I started following you. I knew you were outspoken about Turkey because of your family situation and the authoritarian regime there. But it seems now your social media feed is almost all China. 

A. At basketball camp this summer for kids, while I was taking pictures with the kids, one of the parents pretty much called me out in front of everybody and said how can you call yourself a human rights activist when your Muslim brothers and sisters are in concentration camps getting tortured and raped. I was shocked. I started doing research, and I saw what Uyghurs are going through. And I was ashamed. I was blindly focusing on only (Turkey). I was like, from now on I'm going to do whatever I can to bring awareness to all the Uyghurs out there. The more I studied, I learned about Tibetans, I learned about Hong Kongers, I learned about Taiwanese people, heard about Mongolians, heard about all the abuses done by the Chinese government. 

Q. When the Biden administration announced the diplomatic boycott of the China Olympics, you tweeted, "Good but NOT enough. 1)I hope this encourages other countries to do a diplomatic boycott also 2)With all the human rights abuses from China, we only countered with a diplomatic boycott?" But what about our American athletes who've been training so long?

A. I'm often telling all these athletes out there, listen, all the gold medals in the world you can win is not more important than your morals, your values or your presence. We need to stand strong against dictatorships.  

Q. You've praised the WTA for suspending events after the tennis player accused a high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault, and you've criticized the International Olympic Committee for going on with the Winter Games in February. But was the WTA boycotting China before this, or was this very specific because it's concerned about the safety of one of its players? What if an NBA player suddenly went missing in China?

A. Well, we don't know what the NBA would do. I remember two years ago, when (Houston Rockets general manager) Daryl Morey tweeted about Hong Kong, it was a nightmare for the NBA. And NBA is the one encouraging everyone to stand up for what's right, not just in America but all over the world. And now, when they put all the pressure on me just because I talk about all the human rights violations happening in China, it's just unacceptable. 

Q. Is the NBA putting pressure on you for speaking out on China?

A. They do. I remember the first time, you know wearing my "FREE TIBET" shoes, two NBA officials came to me on the bench and said we are begging you take those shoes off. And I told them, this is my right, you cannot tell me to take my shoes off; you know I'm getting ready for my citizenship test. There are 27 amendments and my First Amendment is freedom of speech.

Q. Were they NBA officials or Celtics officials who came and talked to you?

A. I don't think I should say, because I actually like those guys a lot, and I don't want them to get in trouble.

(An NBA spokesman issued this statement: “At no point has any NBA league official approached Enes and asked him not to wear his choice of shoes.”)

Q. Where are you getting these shoes?

A. They are done by a company in Los Angeles. Those shoes have nothing to do with any kind of slave labor or sweatshops. The material in those shoes is all made in America and has nothing to do with China.

Q. And who sketches those illustrations that go on the shoes?

A. There are different artists every time. Many of them are done by human rights activists around the world.

Q. And why are you criticizing Nike?

A. Nike is the biggest sponsor of the NBA. Obviously, there are so many other companies out there. Right? But Nike stands with Black Lives Matter, no Asian hate, the Latino community, the LGBTQ community. But they're selling so much jerseys and shoes and T-shirts in China, they remain silent. But every time you buy those items there's so much blood and sweat and oppression in those items. So think twice.

Q. But NBA uniforms have the Nike logo on it. How do you feel about that?

A. I mean, that's my job. I cannot just rip the Nike part off, that will be against the rules. What I'm trying to do is just to break no rules. And when I say Nike, Nike is not the only one. If you look at Adidas, look at Under Armour, Puma – they're all using, you know, slave laborers in China. 

Q. And you've criticized LeBron James.

A. Obviously, there are so many other athletes out there I can go on and on. The reason I'm calling out LeBron the most is he is the face of NBA and the face of Nike. And his audience is the biggest. And, you know, it's not like I declared a war against them. I want him to join me. I want him to educate me, and I want to educate him also. 

Q. But have you had a conversation with LeBron? Because when you guys were playing the Lakers recently, he was standing right in front of your bench. People are saying that you were adjusting your mask, and that you avoided looking at LeBron.

A. At that point, what could I say? He's on the court. Do you really think I can say while I'm on the bench, "Oh, hey LeBron by the way, let me educate you about the human rights abuses done by China"?

Q. Have you reached out to LeBron personally to try to schedule?

A. I mean, he didn't reach out and I did not reach out because right now we're doing this season. I will still do it. But I don't know if he is willing to sit down and talk about it. 

Q. The shoe you wore that has the likeness of LeBron James, describe that shoe to me.

A. People think that I keep attacking LeBron. But I think what he did for the Black community in America is amazing. Me putting his picture on the shoe, bowing down to (Chinese President) Xi Jinping, was not just about him. It was about all the players out there who are doing it. Obviously, I grew up a LeBron fan. I have a lot of respect for him on the court. But I'm telling these athletes, before you put your signature on paper with these big companies, do your research first.

Q. Talk about your Turkish background, your family. And why are you in exile?

A. I saw all the human rights violations done by the Turkish government. And I was very outspoken about it, and it affected me and my family. They revoked my passport; they put my name on the Interpol list (for international arrest). My dad was a genetics professor, and he got fired from his job. They still took my dad in jail for a while; we put so much pressure from here with politicians, with media and everything, they had to let him go (in 2020). Last time I saw my family was back in 2015. 

Q. When you became a U.S. citizen, you changed your last name to Freedom. Why?

A. I wanted that word behind my jersey so all the kids out there in the world can understand what freedom means.  

Q. Turkey had a warrant out for you. Now that you are a U.S. citizen, can you leave America? 

A. I'm going to have a passport soon. I'm going to be able to go travel, and that's actually what I wanted to do, just go to different countries and different places. Do basketball camps and learn their culture and have some food, and hang out with them.

Q. What's the first place that you want to travel to now that you can?

A. I really want to go and meet with the Dalai Lama. He was one of the people that really inspired me to become who I am. And second I really want to go to Taiwan. The president there has invited me so I would love to go and visit. I promised them to go do a basketball camp over there. 

Q. It must be very hard, though, to be away from your family. Would you be brave enough to try to go back to Turkey to see your family?

A. I'll be dead in a heartbeat. Because the Turkish government is a very brutal dictatorship; it's a cultish regime. So I would not risk it. But that is my biggest goal, to see my family again. 

Q. I read a Washington Post column about you that said, "He could lose his career as a consequence ... when the Celtics will be able to trade or waive him." Are you worried at all? Without the platform as an NBA player, how will this affect your activism?

A. I have other plans I guess. Let’s just wait and see.

Thuan Le Elston, a member of USA TODAY's Editorial Board, is the author of "Rendezvous at the Altar: From Vietnam to Virginia." Follow her on Twitter: @thuanelston