Enes Kanter shoes in tonight’s game had LeBron bowing to China.

[Jkam31]

Notice all of the personal attacks on Kanter and side stepping of the issue (e.g. why is he attacking LeBron and not the NBA?)

Not one defender of LeBron has actually defended LeBron’s silence or his stance on China…

You don’t want to confront the actual issues here. You’re silent on those.

You just want to make this about “Kanter isn’t brave” etc. because you know Kanter is actually correct and LeBron is wrong on the ACTUAL issues that matter.

The great Kwame Brown talked about this on one of his videos the exact thing you said. When people in this day and age disagree with you they don’t try to argue the point the start attacking personal stuff that don’t mean a ****

[LivingLegend]

So this clown is supposed to be brave cause he spoke out against the Turkish government? He risked the lives of his family while he’s making millions in the US and living a good life here in the US. That’s a coward move right there. Go fly over to Turkey and speak your mind there then Imma call him brave.

So your favorite player is brave cause he “built a school” and tweets from his 50 million dollar house but kanter needs to go die to be brave. You lebron nutthuggers are a joke

What you are not understanding is Kanters childish ways of screaming as loud as he can from a soap box about issues has solved nothing. It makes him look like a lunatic, divides people and makes enemies. Kanter seems to have a LOT of opinions with no way of solving anything besides bit***** about them and screaming at others who don't fix issues HE believes are important

If Kanter cared and wanted something to actually be done in a productive manner--he would have reached out to LeBron via phone/zoom/meeting and expressed his feelings about Nikes labor and asked LeBron if he could help change things since his voice is so big.

He didn't do that, he randomly came out one day ranting and raving on social media about this topic and verbally attacking others. That's not how you get something done

Kanter wants change, but has gone about actually accomplishing that in the stupidest and more ineffective way possible. He sounds like a high school girl posting on social media after a break up. At like an adult Kanter.

It would be one thing if Kanter tried previously to reach out to LeBron in private and got rejected or a poor response, it's another to one day wake up and expect Lebron James to fix all of the worlds ills.

[RRyder823]

So this clown is supposed to be brave cause he spoke out against the Turkish government? He risked the lives of his family while he’s making millions in the US and living a good life here in the US. That’s a coward move right there. Go fly over to Turkey and speak your mind there then Imma call him brave.

This might be the dumbest post I've ever read on this board.

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

[AmIWrongDude]

This dude put a picture of another man he hates on his shoes but refused to say anything when they passed eachother in the tunnel.

Can’t believe a lot of you support this soft ass **** lol. If it was anyone else but LeBron you wouldn’t. So weak.

[LesGrossman]

kanter is literally banned from his homeland because he spoke out against erdogen but tell us more how kanter has sacrificed nothing

Yeah thas was the one most uneducated dumbest comment in the thread for sure.

So tell me what single thing he’s actually risking by going after Lebron?

Just cause Kanter’s done and risked all these other things doesn’t mean going after Lebron is brave.

People want to keep calling him brave for going after Lebron but when asked why it’s brave, all they talk about is these other things he’s done and don’t explain why going after Lebron is brave.

Again it’s confusing why people think it’s brave of Kanter to go at Lebron.

Hold on, you seriously ask which risks a role player takes when going publicly after the "face of the Association" and exposing his fake social warrior act? You think the league will continue to let him speak out freely after that?

[LesGrossman]

I know there's a lot of LeBron hate in general but it's kind of astonishing that he's the only athlete that get's crap for not speaking out against China.

For like the last 10 years, he's probably been the most outspoken major North American athlete on social issues as a whole.

Thats a nice strawman you built there. He isnt singled out by "haters" for his lack of china engagement. He himself felt the urge to speak out in favor of china, when Morey had the balls to take a stance. Noone forced him to say anything at all. It was his own choice and obvious fear of personal disadvantages that made him pick the side of a murderous dictatorship rather than lose a few dollars. Meanwhile Kanter is fighting against a totalitarian regime in turkey , accepting that he will probably never be able to go home again.

People cant undertsand that this has nothing to do with their basketball skill or relevance. As human beings, they started exactly from the same spot, but Kanter is head and shoulders above Lebron. In fact Bron has done mostly damage, its not only china. Same with the tweet where he threatened / prejudged a law enforcecment officer before even knowing facts, just because it was a white cop and a black who was shot. He didnt want to know more.

[AmIWrongDude]

I know there's a lot of LeBron hate in general but it's kind of astonishing that he's the only athlete that get's crap for not speaking out against China.

For like the last 10 years, he's probably been the most outspoken major North American athlete on social issues as a whole.

Thats a nice strawman you built there. He isnt singled out by "haters" for his lack of china engagement. He himself felt the urge to speak out in favor of china, when Morey had the balls to take a stance. Noone forced him to say anything at all. It was his own choice and obvious fear of personal disadvantages that made him pick the side of a murderous dictatorship rather than lose a few dollars. Meanwhile Kanter is fighting against a totalitarian regime in turkey , accepting that he will probably never be able to go home again.

People cant undertsand that this has nothing to do with their basketball skill or relevance. As human beings, they started exactly from the same spot, but Kanter is head and shoulders above Lebron. In fact Bron has done mostly damage, its not only china. Same with the tweet where he threatened / prejudged a law enforcecment officer before even knowing facts, just because it was a white cop and a black who was shot. He didnt want to know more.

LeBron is a menace. We can’t keep letting him get away this. Stop him at all costs before he reaches our major cities.

[xAIRNESSx]

I know there's a lot of LeBron hate in general but it's kind of astonishing that he's the only athlete that get's crap for not speaking out against China.

For like the last 10 years, he's probably been the most outspoken major North American athlete on social issues as a whole.

Thats a nice strawman you built there. He isnt singled out by "haters" for his lack of china engagement. He himself felt the urge to speak out in favor of china, when Morey had the balls to take a stance. Noone forced him to say anything at all. It was his own choice and obvious fear of personal disadvantages that made him pick the side of a murderous dictatorship rather than lose a few dollars. Meanwhile Kanter is fighting against a totalitarian regime in turkey , accepting that he will probably never be able to go home again.

People cant undertsand that this has nothing to do with their basketball skill or relevance. As human beings, they started exactly from the same spot, but Kanter is head and shoulders above Lebron. In fact Bron has done mostly damage, its not only china. Same with the tweet where he threatened / prejudged a law enforcecment officer before even knowing facts, just because it was a white cop and a black who was shot. He didnt want to know more.

That's a very biased summation of what happened. LeBron didn't speak up in favour of China. His comments were ambiguous at worst, but he spoke up in regards to player safety as he was in China when Morey's tweet came out.

It's so hypocritical to side with Enes while condemning LeBron. Kanter, like LeBron, speaks up on issues that are close to him. He is from Turkey and the Uyghur's are ethnically and religiously similar to Turks, but sure, he's morally superior to everyone.

[CIN-C-STAR]

With the bold you are asking if his life is in danger as of this moment, and the answer is no. But the question I answered asked what he sacrificed.

As to why he singled out LeBron, I think it's a fair criticism (since Kanter's teammates also have Nike deals) and comes down to 2 reasons: he hates LeBron, and LeBron is one of the faces of Nike.

Going after Lebron brings the most attention to the cause, and Lebron asaked for it with his questionble comments RE: Morey's Tweet.
That's the obvious answer. And it's working.
Not like he gonna wear shoes going after Ish Smith for running a Nike camp or something

Kanter plays for an association in partnership with said country he is criticizing. But he opts to go after Lebron. Didn't like what Lebron said. But there are bigger people involved.

Everyone from the commissioner to the owners are involved.

When it comes to media attention, no one in the basketball world is bigger than Lebron (except maybe MJ).

[Tracymcgoaty]

Going after Lebron brings the most attention to the cause, and Lebron asaked for it with his questionble comments RE: Morey's Tweet.
That's the obvious answer. And it's working.
Not like he gonna wear shoes going after Ish Smith for running a Nike camp or something

Kanter plays for an association in partnership with said country he is criticizing. But he opts to go after Lebron. Didn't like what Lebron said. But there are bigger people involved.

Everyone from the commissioner to the owners are involved.

When it comes to media attention, no one in the basketball world is bigger than Lebron (except maybe MJ).

So it'll become about what Lebron said instead of the NBA being in partnership with China brokering deals worth over a billion. You've got owners like Cuban saying he has no problems doing business with China. Im assuming the rest fall in line with the same thinking. It's business first always.

I get why he singled out Lebron. Lets just hope the buck doesn't stop with him.

[DusterBuster]

I agree somewhat…but somebody needed to call LeBron out on that RIDICULOUS comment about how Morey “had to get educated” about the issues surrounding Hong Kong.

For someone who want to view themselves as active in social justice issues, that was a pretty brutal own-goal.

For sure, but do it like a man, talk face to face. I’m no Uber Bron fan, I could care less about him one way or another, but he’s right on his reaction. If you have a problem with someone or their stance / opinion, you talk to that person. Kanter is just using Bron’s image to promote his message… which is pretty lame.

I stand with Kanter and his mission, but this is not a good way to go about it

Using Bron's image on national television to bring awareness to NBA/Nike's submissive behavior to a genocidal regime is GENIUS, actually

Doing it without Bron's consent is not ok though. He deserves say in how his image and likeness is used in all matters.

[Zenzibar]

...while a bunch of other NBA players continued to collect their checks and let LeBron do their dirty work for them

My G, what dirty work is James doing?

...

At the time he was protecting his own interests, yes, but also the NBA's. If the NBA loses China, it's a big deal for every player. Would it be admirable for the NBA and its players to take a stand against China? Sure, but it's also a lot to expect. And for domestic issues, NBA players can have a real impact; for example they were able to get owners to agree to use stadiums as voting locations in 2020. China though? Nothing NBA players do or say will impact any of China's actions, be it with the Uyghurs, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or any other human rights violations. What happens if they take a stance against China? China keeps doing the terrible things it's doing, and the NBA loses a massive chunk of its revenue stream, jobs are lost, and the NBA is in a really bad place.

Before China, the NBA was thriving, be it during the Magic/Celtics era, MJ and the Bulls, or Kobe/Shaq. James's silenced is a subject of discussion as you can detect and merely shows that money trumps sensibilities. It's like the global climate debate where money trumps sensibility. Additonally, if China shuts out the NBA they will also lose a huge income generation.

But I see your point about James is looking out for the interests of the NBA and it's stars, can't fault him. I just think that Enes is that dissenting voice that calls attention to events that most don't care to know about. Actors have also used the Oscars as a platform, while some disagree, because of it's audience also has it's merit.

[Pan Jia Yuan]

Imagine being 15 yrs old today and living in a China-dominated world for the majority of your life!
Crazy. I don't even want to know what this means with the technology they'll be putting out over the next couple of decades. Total economic, political and social control? Probably.
LeBron won't change this, NBA won't, US won't.
West will be 2nd fiddle in a couple of yrs and will be forever. Get used to it. Enjoy today, it will change very soon very fast.
Here are a couple of pics I took during my 2006 internship in Beijing when going to China was considered an exciting adventure.
Local photo studio censored the last pic lol (beggar in front of Great Hall of Ppl).
I'll never return.

[LAL1947]

Wish Lakers traded Lebron for Enes.

I'm on board with this!

Enes Kanter + Jaylen Brown for Qing James.

Who says no?

[KembaWalker]

For sure, but do it like a man, talk face to face. I’m no Uber Bron fan, I could care less about him one way or another, but he’s right on his reaction. If you have a problem with someone or their stance / opinion, you talk to that person. Kanter is just using Bron’s image to promote his message… which is pretty lame.

I stand with Kanter and his mission, but this is not a good way to go about it

Using Bron's image on national television to bring awareness to NBA/Nike's submissive behavior to a genocidal regime is GENIUS, actually

Doing it without Bron's consent is not ok though. He deserves say in how his image and likeness is used in all matters.

no he doesn't. thats censorship

[TheWitcher]

So this clown is supposed to be brave cause he spoke out against the Turkish government? He risked the lives of his family while he’s making millions in the US and living a good life here in the US. That’s a coward move right there. Go fly over to Turkey and speak your mind there then Imma call him brave.

This might be the dumbest post I've ever read on this board.

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

It’s almost sig worthy

[Salieri]

He's risking his economic security, as there's a non-zero chance he could eventually get blackballed from the NBA, but his life isn't in jeopardy unless he steps foot in Turkey or China.

Ridiculous response. "Not in jeopardy" just because he's not in those countries? You think that's how right wing authoritarianism works, huh?

Interesting.

Lol, neither Erdogan nor Xi are sending assassins to the US to take out Kanter. Come on dude.

Pinochet did it, so it's not like it's physically and logistically impossible.

I agree with you that neither Erdogan nor Xi would make such a move to get Enes Kanter, who's nothing more than a minor celebrity with a big mouth and no power in the grand scheme of things. Silencing him would not only be a bit too on the nose and highly irrelevant, but also possibly counterproductive.

[FrobeBryant]

This doesn’t take courage like some of y’all are suggesting. He’s not an activist either. He is and always has been a troll. He trolls LeBron specifically cause he likes to poke the bear so he can look cool in front of his very minimal fans. If you have an issue with someone, talk to him like a man to his face. LeBron said after the game that Kanter walked right by him in the tunnel and didn’t say a word. Sounds like a cowardly troll to me.

[Mephariel]

Exactly. Like I said, He is an attention whore. If he truly cares, why doesn't he call out the NBA in general? Why single out Lebron? Cause he is in the NBA. And Lebron will get attention. The guy didn't even want to look at Lebron in the eye.

[Mephariel]

My G, what dirty work is James doing?

...

At the time he was protecting his own interests, yes, but also the NBA's. If the NBA loses China, it's a big deal for every player. Would it be admirable for the NBA and its players to take a stand against China? Sure, but it's also a lot to expect. And for domestic issues, NBA players can have a real impact; for example they were able to get owners to agree to use stadiums as voting locations in 2020. China though? Nothing NBA players do or say will impact any of China's actions, be it with the Uyghurs, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or any other human rights violations. What happens if they take a stance against China? China keeps doing the terrible things it's doing, and the NBA loses a massive chunk of its revenue stream, jobs are lost, and the NBA is in a really bad place.

Before China, the NBA was thriving, be it during the Magic/Celtics era, MJ and the Bulls, or Kobe/Shaq. James's silenced is a subject of discussion as you can detect and merely shows that money trumps sensibilities. It's like the global climate debate where money trumps sensibility. Additonally, if China shuts out the NBA they will also lose a huge income generation.

But I see your point about James is looking out for the interests of the NBA and it's stars, can't fault him. I just think that Enes is that dissenting voice that calls attention to events that most don't care to know about. Actors have also used the Oscars as a platform, while some disagree, because of it's audience also has it's merit.

The difference is, you don't see Brad Pitt calling out The Rock for promoting his movies in China. Because he knows he is in the same boat.