The Boston Celtics games will not be seen on Chinese television for the foreseeable future after controversial comments have been made by Celtics center Enes Kanter of Zurich, Switzerland. Kanter, who is of Turkish descent, has been publicly outspoken against Chinese politics. He has the phrase “Free Tibet” on his shoes, has called Chinese President Xi Jinping “a brutal dictator,” publicly supported the Dalai Lama, and wears shoes designed by Australian cartoonist Badiucao, who is a Chinese dissident according to ESPN.
Kanter is not the first person who has generated controversy in China because of his political views. Two years ago, Houston Rockets games were not shown on Chinese television when general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for the Hong Kong protests. It should be noted that even though the NBA lost $400 million according to Grady McGregor of fortune.com due to the fallout with China, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had Morey’s support, who defended his freedom of speech. Morey is now the president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers and is at the forefront of the Ben Simmons saga in Philly at the moment.
This is Kanter’s second stint with the Boston Celtics. He previously played the 2019-20 season in Boston, where he averaged 8.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. Last season Kanter was in Portland, where he averaged 11.2 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. On April 10, Kanter set the Trail Blazers record for most rebounds in a game with 30 in a 118-103 win over the Detroit Pistons. Kanter signed with the Celtics on August 13, 2021.
This is not the first time that Kanter has generated controversy for his views. Two years ago he generated controversy for publicly supporting Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, and opposing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
