Former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom detailed how his career collapsed thanks to the hypocrisy of woke culture during Thursday’s episode of “Wokewash” with Heydon Prowse.
Freedom spoke with superb British satirist Heydon Prowse on his show “Wokewash,” which details the ongoing hypocrisy of governments, corporations and more in the context of “woke” culture, or what Prowse calls “the social justice Olympics,” (among other brilliant one-liners). Thursday’s episode focused on race, and Freedom held nothing back.
“Colin Kaepernick actually was my, was my really good friend. And the day I started to criticize Nike and China, I have not heard from him ever again,” Freedom told Prowse. Freedom took to the court during his first game with the Boston Celtics in sneakers that showed his support for a free Tibet.
Basketball star, activist and all-round hero @EnesFreedom discussing the NBA’s reaction to his protests for the rights of Uyghur Chinese on the court on my @BBCRadio4 podcast ‘Wokewash.’ Check out the full episode here: https://t.co/1THEgahFTe pic.twitter.com/Y59c4HBdW0
— Heydon Prowse (@HeydonProwse) February 9, 2024
“I went out there for warmups. One minute before the game, we are in a team huddle — two gentlemen from Boston Celtics came up to me and said, ‘we are all going to get in trouble,'” Freedom played “zero minutes” in the first half of the game, and received thousands of notifications on his phone when he returned to the locker room.
PORTLAND, OREGON – MARCH 23: James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets and Enes Kanter #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers get in each other’s faces during the fourth quarter at Moda Center on March 23, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON – MARCH 23: Enes Kanter #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts toward the referee after a foul during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Moda Center on March 23, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Within 24 minutes of Freedom’s shoes appearing on television, China banned every Celtics game for the rest of that year, Freedom stated. He said that more people watched the NBA in China than there were people in America the year prior, which may be why he was allegedly harassed by NBA leadership to stop wearing the shoes. So, instead, he showed up to the second game with “Free Uyghur” shoes, he recounted. In a third game, the star showed up with Nike Jordans with “made with slave labor” written out, and his career was basically over, he added. (RELATED: ‘Greatest Scam In Modern American History’: Daily Caller Reporter Kay Smythe Slams BLM)
SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIl 16: Enes Kanter #11 of the Portland Trailblazers is fouled by DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs as Drew Eubanks #14 of the San Antonio Spurs traps on the right in the first half at AT&T Center on April 16, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 17: (L-R) Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) speaks with former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom at the U.S. Capitol on February 17, 2022 in Washington, DC. On Thursday, the Senate is trying to pass another short-term spending bill that would fund the government through March 11 and avoid a potential government shutdown. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 22: The shoes of Enes Kanter #13 of the Boston Celtics before the Celtics home opener against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on October 22, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 07: Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom greets people ahead of the State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol building on February 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Freedom was invited to the address by U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). (Photo by Julia Nikhinson/Getty Images)
When athletes started spewing their support for so-called “social justice” groups like BLM, the NBA was all about it. But when Freedom decided to stand up against the threat of genocide, the NBA had an alleged temper tantrum. Isn’t that the most disgusting thing you’ve heard all day?
But if you want to really, really lean into the hilarity behind the hypocrisy of racial woke cultural posturing in the U.S. and abroad, I highly recommend you listen to the entire series of “Wokewash.” It’ll seriously make your day.