Enes Kanter calls for boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022; targets LeBron James again

Boston Celtics star Enes Kanter has been vocal about his support towards the global human rights causes and this time around the player has come forward to speak about boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics. The comments made by the NBA star come following the brief disappearance of Chinese Tennis star Peng Shuai.

The international Olympic committee had said that a video call was conducted between IOC chief and player to confirm her whereabouts after a sexual allegation made by her on a former Chinese official.

Enes Kanter comment on Beijing Winter Olympics in China 

Enes Kanter, while speaking to "The Story" said that the professional sports world remains silent on Chinese human rights abuses and other allegations against the Communist leadership there, "someone has to do it. He said, "There’s so many athletes, so many actors, so many singers and rappers out there. They’re scared to say a word because they care too much about their money – the endorsement deals, what the teams they play for say". 

He further said, "They should know one thing: It should be morals and principles over money. It shouldn’t be the opposite way. People’s life depends on this," Kanter added, noting that young people around the world look up to athletes in all sports – and therefore the players should be careful about how they conduct themselves".

Enes Kanter attacks LeBron James

Recently, Enes Kanter Nike tweeted attacking LA Lakers star LeBron James over China's human rights violations. Kanter in his tweet wrote, 'Money over Morals for the ''King,'', referring to LeBron James's nickname. He wrote 'Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice. They really do ''shut up & dribble'' when Big Boss [Chinese flag emoji] says so. Did you educate yourself about the slave labour that made your shoes or is that not part of your research?'

Nike, which is the NBA's official apparel provider, is among several western brands that have drawn criticism from Beijing for expressing concerns about reports of forced labour in cotton production in the northwest province of Xinjiang. Nike in its statement had said that it does not handle the sourcing of its cotton in the county 'directly.'

The statement read, 'While Nike does not directly source cotton or other raw materials, traceability at the raw materials level is an area of ongoing focus'. 'We are working closely with our suppliers, industry associations, brands and other stakeholders to pilot traceability approaches and map material sources so we can have confidence the materials in our products are responsibly produced,' the statement further added.