Enes Kanter Blasts LeBron James: ‘Money over Morals for the ‘King’

By Kelton Brooks Published: November 19, 2021

Enes Kanter Blasts LeBron James: ‘Money over Morals for the ‘King’

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter poses for a photo during the Boston Celtics Media Day, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in Canton, Mass. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

In Summary

The Boston Celtics forward continues to call out LeBron James for staying silent against Nike profits despite brutal labor camps in China.

Boston Celtics forward Enes Kanter called out LeBron James on Twitter, accusing the longtime face of the NBA of picking and choosing when to speak out against injustice.

Kanter said James is choosing to remain silent on Nike’s labor practices in China while James and the company continues to rake in profit.

“Money over Morals for the ‘King,’” Kanter tweeted alongside photos of sneakers painted with an illustration of Chinese President Xi Jinping putting a crown on James’ head.

Money over Morals for the “King” 👑

Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice

They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss 🇨🇳 says so

Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research? pic.twitter.com/YUA8rGYeoZ
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) November 18, 2021

“Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice,” Kanter wrote. “They really do ‘shut up & dribble’ when Big Boss says so,” adding an emoji of China’s flag.

Kanter also called on President Joe Biden to address the Uyghur Genocide and assault on Tibetans and Hong Kong during his virtual meeting with Xi.

President @JoeBiden & Dictator
Xi Jinping are scheduled to speak@POTUS
Stop playing games with bullies &
do what you promised to the world!
Prioritize Human Rights!

Will @JoeBiden ask about Uyghur Genocide or assault on Tibetans & HK?

Or will they pat each other on the back? pic.twitter.com/kKwVNmb9ce
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) November 14, 2021

This isn’t the first time Kanter has called out James.

In October, Kanter invited James, Michael Jordan and Nike co-founder Phil Knight to “visit these slave labor camps” in China in an Instagram post.

Kanter said to James and Jordan in the Instagram post: “You guys are welcome to come too.”

The post was one of many on social media to draw attention to various injustices in China. Kanter’s post fell on the heels of him wearing customized shoes with the words “Modern Day Slavery” and “No More Excuses” written on them during a game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Jordan-owned franchise.

In the post, he used hashtags #HypocriteNike and #EndUyghurForcedLabor.

“Nike remains vocal about injustice here in America, but when it comes to China, Nike remains silent,” Kanter said. “You do not address police brutality in China, you do not speak about discrimination against the LGBTQ community, you do not say a word about the oppression of minorities in China, you are scared to speak up.”

The relationship between China and the NBA brings in millions each year. The relationship soured last year when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted “stand with Hong Kong,” in regards to pro-democratic protests against Beijing.