LeBron James has been known to speak about everything political – except for one topic that Enes Kanter has a lot to say about.
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In 2018, when LeBron and Kevin Durant were on Tv and discussing politics, things got heated when Cori Champion asked him to “shut up and dribble” and to leave politics to the people who did not leave high school a year early. Bron took it personally and was livid. This anger could have been used in the right direction in 2019 When Daryl Morey spoke in favor of the situation in Hong Kong.
The NBA had organized a series of preseason games in China, and when this statement went public, it shook everyone from the bottom up. The whole pre-season was hushed and hurried, and the games were even threatened to be pulled off the air. It was so tense, that a plastic cake knife could slice through easily.
James had asked Adam Silver to protect the players who went to China and asked them not to do any press conferences, lest they were caught with their pants down. And caught with his pants down was LeBron himself, when he came back to the states and was asked for a statement.
“So many people could have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually. Daryl [Morey] was misinformed about the situation.” – LeBron James, 2019
LeBron James gets angry when asked to shut up and dribble – if he did speak about certain atrocities that greatly affect the world, that opinion might change
Nike, NBA, and LeBron James chose money over morals because the facts were there for everyone to see. Even a man with cataracts can see how pathetic the situation is for the Uyghur Muslim population in the communist republic, yet chose to remain mum. They threw one of their own under the bus, for a pocket load of cash.
If that was the case, stay out of all cases. Every human has the right to voice their opinions, provided they stay consistent throughout. The hypocrisy of the King can be seen the world over – it doesn’t seem right. His products are mostly made in these areas where the Muslim population is concentrated, which doubles the fingers pointing at James.
Enes Kanter went on to rip into the 4-time champion, and he even wore sneakers portraying James bowing down to get crowned by Chinese dictator Xi Jinping during a Celtics-Lakers game. James was quick to shake it off, saying Kanter was out to make a name for himself.
Politics and Sports do not go hand in hand – but that does not mean you keep them completely away from each other
“I preach about my people and I preach about equality. Social injustice, racism, ad systematic voter suppression are things that go on in our community. There is no way I will ever just stick to sports because I know with this platform, how powerful my voice is”. – LeBron James, 2021
LeBron James is quite vocal in terms of politics – he is not one to shy away from voicing his views. He’s spoken about Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial very publicly and also rebuffed LA’s god Zlatan Ibrahimović asking him to stay out of politics. He feels like a person of his stature should and rightfully so be able to voice their opinions – if they brought about change.
While for the most part, Bron has been a part of the new-age woke Twitterati whose opinions sound like they came from a person after taking on Social Studies class. But some of his stances make sense – like how he is completely against any gun-related violence and always has been vocal about it.
But being the face of the NBA, he cannot be on the fence and pick and choose his battles. To say that he would like to speak and preach to his people about the wrongdoings of the world is one thing, but choosing to ignore one of the biggest atrocities being committed right under their noses is another.
