Boston Celtics center Enes Freedom said Tuesday he would be willing to speak with Los Angeles Lakers forward James about criticisms he made of the Lakers forward for remaining silent on human rights issues in China and of his sponsorship deal with Nike, though James said Freedom avoided him when they recently crossed paths.
Boston Celtics' center, looks to shoot in front of Los Angeles Lakers' James. The photo was taken by Michael Dwyer.
The Associated Press.
The Turkish-born basketball player who became a U.S. citizen Monday and changed his last name to Freedom said he would love to sit down and talk to James. I'm sure it's going to be very uncomfortable for him. I don't know if he wants that. I'll make that comfortable for him.
James has been called out by Freedom for his sponsorship deal with Nike, which they claim is made in part by factories in China that use Uyghur forced labor.
James does "shut up and dribble" when Big Boss says so, according to Freedom, which has been wearing and promoting custom shoes.
James said last week that Freedom is not someone he would give his energy to.
James claimed that Freedom walked by him after the Lakers and Celtics game last week, but Freedom denied it.
He criticized Nike for not speaking out on human rights violations in China despite being vocal on social issues in the United States, and for sponsoring athletes such as James and the rest.
Nike stated that it does not source products from the Xinjiang region and that it has found no evidence of employment of Uyghurs in its supply chain in China.
Freedom said that he was here to educate James and that it was not about money. The best life for the grandkids and the kids can be had if the NBA player stops making money now.
The human rights violations in China have led to sanctions from the U.S., EU, U.K. and Canada, as well as Freedom has released multiple videos about the abuse of the Uyghurs. The freedom group called China's leader a "ruthless dictator" for his actions in Hong Kong. All Celtics games were removed from the platform of the streaming service in China. When you live in a country like Turkey or China, you will appreciate the freedom you have there, Freedom said in an interview with Tucker Carlson Monday.
