Boston Celtics coach wants fighting in the NBA: 'What's more entertaining?'



Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla says basketball fans have been robbed of the entertainment value that hard fouls and scuffles bring.

Mazzulla was speaking with hosts on Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub radio who were discussing potential rule changes to make the NBA more exciting.

During the interview with Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand, Mazzulla asked a question that likely has never been asked before:

"How come in baseball they're allowed to clear the benches?"

The point of his question was to imply that there should be some form of fighting permitted in basketball, as well, resulting in penalties.

"I think the biggest thing that we rob people from as an entertainment standpoint is you can't fight anymore," he told the hosts. "I wish you could bring back fighting."

Basketball has a history of scuffles and rough play, particularly in the late 1980s and early 1990s, an era that featured very physical players like Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas.

The radio hosts pointed out that the NBA rarely ever features any hard fouls anymore, adding that there isn't a "fear" of physical repercussions for modern players like that there has been in the past.

Mazzulla added, "I mean, you want to talk talk about robbing the league of entertainment; what's more entertaining than when there is a little scuffle?"

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon in an altercation.Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Mazzulla was also adamant about adding an advantage for teams who have a foul committed against them.

The coach claimed that "basketball is one of the only sports that doesn't have a power play."

"I think soccer just put in the 'blue card' where a guy has to go off, and it's a 10 on nine. Like we should have a power play."

Mazzulla was referring to a trial blue card in lower-tier soccer leagues, such as the Women's Super League, where players are sent off the field for 10 minutes for specific violations.

ESPN reported that the rule, if implemented, would not be adopted by top soccer leagues until at least 2026-2027.

At the same time, most sports actually do not have a power play.

Along with basketball, baseball, football, and soccer do not such rules in place. Hockey is the only major North American sport that has players going off for a predetermined amount of time after a foul.

Lacrosse has power plays, however, and rugby has a form of 10-minute misconduct penalty that is similar to what is being proposed for soccer.

The Celtics coach and the radio hosts went on to discuss possible ways to implement a power play system in the NBA

“Let's say you have a technical or let’s say you get a take foul, and you get the one shot, but you're not really rewarded for that because if you miss it, you don’t get the reward for that take foul," Mazzulla explained. "So there should be a power play where on a take foul or on a technical, you have to play five on four for five seconds or three passes."

The hosts then suggested the length of a penalty could be one possession.

In response, Mazzulla broke down what he thinks the rule should be:

"Instead of taking the ball out on the side, you commit a foul and the other guy goes to the other side of half court and he can't pass the half court circle for like, three seconds."

The 36-year-old has been incredibly transparent since filling the coaching role in Boston. He has revealed his deep religious faith to reporters and has even shrugged off race-baiting questions from activist journalists en route to a 2024 NBA championship.

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Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla reveals he has a sacred religious item made from the old Boston Garden



Boston Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla said that he has a religious artifact made from parts of the iconic Boston Garden that used to host the team.

Mazzulla was fresh off a 2024 NBA Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks when he spoke to Zach Lowe on his ESPN podcast.

Lowe said that he saw Mazzulla walking around before the game, and he took something out of his pocket. The reporter remembered that Mazzulla showed it to him and thought it was a cool story, then asked if the coach could share it with the audience.

"My assistant Cara also works for the team, she knows what's important to me in my faith," Mazzulla recalled.

The coach has not been shy about expressing his religion, wearing a shirt during the NBA Finals celebration that said, "But first ... let me thank God."

He also famously said in a documentary that if his team won, he would be "flying to Jerusalem," adding that he would walk "from Jericho to Jerusalem."

'I carry those with me everywhere I go and then I bring them out for home games.'

Mazzulla told host Lowe that his assistant managed to get some of the old parquet flooring from the historic Boston Garden, which hosted the Celtics from 1928-1997, including teams that featured the legendary Larry Bird. The flooring was then turned into religious beads.

"She got the old parquet from the Garden and made rosary beads out of it. So every day I get to the Garden, I do my prayer circle, and I use those rosary [beads]," the coach said on "The Lowe Post."

It has been widely reported that one of Mazzulla's pregame rituals has been to walk around the empty arena (now the TD Garden) with his rosary beads in hand.

"Obviously, there's a religious component there, but it's made from the wood and just having that with you, knowing what the people have gone through before as coaches, players, front office, everybody involved ... it was just a sense of connectivity to the Celtic history and a sense of connection with my faith," Mazzulla continued.

"I carry those with me everywhere I go and then I bring them out for home games, so I'm really grateful for that gift."

Mazzulla's track record has included him rejecting popular political narratives that are often pushed into pro sports through the media.

This was apparent when Vincent Goodwill, a senior reporter for Yahoo Sports, asked a racially loaded question before Game 2 of the NBA Finals:

"For the first time since 1975, this is the NBA Finals where you have two black coaches. Given the plight, sometimes, of black head coaches in the NBA, do you think this is a significant moment, do you take pride in this, how do you view this, or do you not see this at all?"

Mazzulla responded by asking, "I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches?"

The reporter took issue with Mazzulla declining his premise and followed up his question with a lengthy article on the subject.

The article was titled, "Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla's unwillingness to discuss race a complicated issue."

In it, he stated that "race is one of the defining issues in this country, and it's not easy to talk about, but when one avoids it, it adds fuel to an already complicated fire."

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Boston Celtics head coach knows exactly who to thank after winning NBA championship — and his postgame shirt says it all



Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is not confused about who deserves the praise after winning the NBA championship.

During Game 5 of the NBA finals, Mazzulla wore a black crewneck shirt on the court sideline. But after his team defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a 106–88 rout, Mazzulla stripped off the long-sleeve shirt to reveal a second shirt underneath.

'If we win the championship this year, we're flying to Jerusalem, and we're walking from Jericho to Jerusalem.'

That shirt communicated a powerful — yet humble — message.

"But first ... let me thank God," the shirt said.

Mazzulla, the youngest NBA head coach, is a devout Catholic, speaking frequently about the importance of his Christian faith. He is no stranger to public displays of faith either.

One of his pregame rituals, for example, includes going on a prayer walk around the empty TD Garden arena — the Celtics' home court in Boston — so that he can pray the rosary in peace.

And in a documentary that aired last month, the 35-year-old coach revealed where he planned to go if his team won the NBA championship: Israel.

"If we win the championship this year, we're flying to Jerusalem, and we're walking from Jericho to Jerusalem," Mazzulla said.

“And it will be kind of like just our reconnect. But we went last year, and we stopped right along this mountainside of the Kidron Valley, and you could see a path in between the mountain ... during the time, the only way that [Jesus] could have gotten from Jericho to Jerusalem was through this valley. And right there I was like, 'We have to walk that,'" he continued.

"Most people go to Disney World or whatever, but I think [the Holy Land is] the most important place to go back and recenter yourself," Mazzulla said.

In 2022, Mazzulla went viral when a reporter asked him about the "royal family" — Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton — attending a Boston Celtics game. Mazzulla told the reporter he is "only familiar with one royal family."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Mazzulla said.

The coach also went viral last week when he shut down a reporter for asking a loaded racial question.

"For the first time since 1975, this is the NBA Finals where you have two black coaches. Given the plight, sometimes, of black head coaches in the NBA, do you think this is a significant moment? Do you take pride in this? How do you view this, or do you not see this at all?" the reporter asked.

"I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches?" Mazzulla fired back.

Enough said.

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Will Luka Dončić’s 'case of the flops' cost the Mavs the NBA championship tonight?



The Dallas Mavericks have now lost three consecutive games to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA finals. If Boston wins tonight, the hopes of an NBA championship, which hasn’t happened since 2011, are dashed for Mavs fans.

NBA sports writer Brian Windhorst pointed at the Mav’s all-star point guard, Luka Dončić, as the reason the team has not prevailed against the Celtics.

“His defensive performance is unacceptable. He is a hole on the court ... [The Celtics] are ahead in this series because they have attacked [Dončić] defensively,” Windhorst reported, adding that Dončić is also “costing the team because of how he treats the officials.”

Windhorst even went as far as saying that Dončić is “the reason why the Mavericks are not going to win” the series.

“There were some uncalled fouls in that game that could’ve gone Luka’s way,” says Blaze Media’s sports expert Jason Whitlock. However, he also acknowledges that the superstar is guilty of “flopping,” “[baiting the referees],” and “trying to draw all these fouls.”

“Luka Dončić has an acute case of the flops,” he says, playing a clip of the athlete’s dramatic tumbles from the last game.

Jay Skapinac, the voice behind Skap Attack agrees.

“Luka came into the series with a lot of shine on him,” he tells Jason. “It looked like he was getting ready to insinuate himself into that best player in the world type conversation in my estimation.”

However, in light of the last three games, “there is no denying that Luca has been absolutely pitiful throughout the course of this series.”

What’s strange is that “many would take a look at just the raw box score and say 30 points per game, nine rebounds a game, six assists, two and a half steals, 47% and think what a great series this guy's playing.”

According to Jay, however, Luka is “unmitigated trash whenever it matters most in the fourth quarters,” which is evidenced by the fact that he’s shot “three of 15 in the fourth quarters” of the last three matches and was “loafing up and down the court on defense.”

“This guy is the European LeBron James,” he criticizes.

To hear the rest of the conversation and predictions for tonight’s match, watch the clip below.


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Reporter asks Boston Celtics coach race-baiting question, Joe Mazzulla shuts him down with one sentence about Christianity



A sports reporter asked a loaded, race-baiting question to Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla during a Saturday press conference ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals. However, Mazzulla didn't take the bait and shut down the reporter with one sentence about Christianity.

Mazzulla is squaring off Dallas Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd – both of whom are biracial with white mothers and black fathers.

Vincent Goodwin, a senior reporter for Yahoo Sports, asked, "For the first time since 1975 this is the NBA Finals where you have two black coaches. Given the plight, sometimes, of black head coaches in the NBA, do you think this is a significant moment, do you take pride in this, how do you view this, or do you not see this at all?"

Mazzulla immediately fired back, "I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches?"

The one-sentence response completely shut down Goodwin and the room went completely silent until another reporter was tapped to ask the next question for the Celtics' coach.

You can watch the exchange here.

After the video clip went viral on social media, Goodwin doubled down and wrote a 1,600-word rebuttal to being shut down by Mazzulla.

In the article titled "Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla's unwillingness to discuss race a complicated issue," Goodwin argued: "Race is one of the defining issues in this country, and it's not easy to talk about, but when one avoids it, it adds fuel to an already complicated fire."

The reporter described Mazzulla's answer to his race-baiting question about a basketball game to be "awkward" and "just an abrupt stop."

He compared Mazzulla's response to that of Orlando Magic star Jonathan Isaac, who Goodwill accused him of using "religion as a shield against the discussion of police brutality on black folks."

Goodwill admitted that NBA players are "overwhelmingly black."

Goodwill attempted to defend his racial question by bringing up discrimination that Celtics legend Bill Russell experienced in Boston some 60 years ago.

The reporter claimed, "Colorblindness is impossible."

Goodwill concluded his article with a hypothetical scenario of Mazzulla being pulled over by police.

"But if he’s pulled over in Boston, the police will see his last name on his license, but before they find out anything else about him, they’ll see a black man first," he wrote.

"My faith is just as important as my race, if not more important."

Mazzulla discussed his faith and race in a 2022 interview with Andscape – a self-described "black-led media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting, and uplifting the diverse stories of black identity."

Mazzulla was asked about his thoughts about there being a record 16 black NBA coaches from the perspective of him being half black and half Italian, and he responded:

It’s one part and it’s not the whole me. So, my identity and who I am as a person is important and knowing who I am is important. And I think being a part of that is important for society. It’s important for the league. It’s important for the players. It’s important for people to understand that it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, you can get to where you want to go. That fundamental principle is extremely important. And so, being a part of that is huge. But I don’t want to be just defined by that. That’s also important to me.

My faith is just as important as my race, if not more important. But I understand that in order to reach different people, you have to be your whole self and you can’t put yourself in a box. And so, I want to be able to reach Black people, Christians, non-Christian. Whoever it is, I want to be able to be an opportunity for that person.

According to the National Catholic Reporter, Mazzulla is a devout Catholic and Kidd is the son of an Irish Catholic, and both are graduates of Catholic school.

Mazzulla has spoken about his faith multiple times with the press, including two iconic moments.

In a postgame press conference in December 2022, a reporter asked about meeting the "royal family" of Prince William and Kate Middleton – who attended a Celtics game.

Mazzulla acutely replied, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph? I'm only familiar with one royal family."

During the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Mazzulla was questioned about the pressures of coaching in the high-stress playoffs.

He explained that he balanced his life by visiting three females under the age of 21 dealing with terminal cancer.

"And I thought I was helping them by talking to them and they were helping me. So having an understanding about what life is really all about and watching a girl die and smiling and enjoying her life, that's what it's really all about and having that faith," Mazzulla said. "The other thing is you always hear people give glory to God and say thank you when they're holding a trophy. But you never really hear it in times like this. So for me, it's an opportunity to just sit right where I'm at and just be faithful. That's what it's about."

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Whitlock: ‘What about’ Brett Favre and Ime Udoka? They’re trapped by America’s racial idolatry



Entitlement binds Brett Favre and Ime Udoka. Nothing else.

For the past 48 hours, since NBA reporters Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania dropped the news of Udoka’s workplace malfeasance, social media pundits have desperately tried to place the Hall of Fame quarterback and the Celtics' head coach in the What Aboutism Racial Blender. It’s the no-risk gadget of choice for low-IQ influencers looking for Twitter street cred. It works nearly every time.

Here’s some background:

The Boston Celtics announced late Thursday night that they suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season because he violated the team’s personal conduct policy. Reports allege that Udoka participated in an inappropriate, consensual sexual relationship with a female staff member. Favre has been in the news of late because of his alleged role in a Mississippi welfare scheme that tried to funnel $5 million to a volleyball facility at his alma mater, Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played.

Udoka is a basketball coach. Favre is a retired NFL player. The stories are seemingly unrelated. But given the fact that Udoka is black and Favre is white, Twitter rewards its users and high-profile influencers for connecting the two events.

Failed NFL quarterback turned ESPN broadcaster Robert Griffin III flipped the switch early Thursday morning:

“If you are more upset about Ime Udoka and the Celtics situation than Brett Favre STEALING MILLIONS IN WELFARE MONEY FROM THE POOREST PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY IN MISSISSIPPI then you are part of the problem.”

The nonsensical tweet has nearly 150,000 likes and 30,000 retweets. Thanks to the dopamine coursing through his brain, RG3 has every right to believe he tweeted something profound and logically sound. Like all social media apps, Twitter rewards idiocy.

No one – outside Nia Long, Celtics employees, and fans – is upset about Ime Udoka’s misbehavior and misfortune. Sports fans are fascinated. Udoka’s implosion feels unprecedented, borderline historic. Based on what we’ve been told so far, we’ve never seen an organization torch a successful head coach over consensual sex a week before the start of training camp.

Add in Boston’s elevated and celebrated status within the NBA, and the Udoka story captivates the way the daytime soap-opera marriage of Luke and Laura did 41 years ago on "General Hospital." Thirty million viewers tuned in to that wedding. The daytime soap craze expired more than a decade ago. The soaps have been replaced by an army of talk shows that rely on messy reality-TV storylines. Udoka delivered one.

But I digress.

Griffin’s real agenda is to deflect attention away from a black public figure caught with his pants down. This is the national pastime of Twitter and corporate media pundits chasing likes, retweets, followers, and racial virtue courtesy of the app’s rigged algorithms.

For maximum relevance, Twitter requires users to analyze every human engagement through a racial lens. The requirement has perverted and dumbed down public discourse, divided Americans along racial lines, and blinded us to the truth.

The forced racial pretzel featuring Favre and Udoka provides a perfect example of Twitter’s corrosive impact.

We shouldn’t be asking, "What about Favre?” Race plays no role in people’s disparate interests or the media’s current coverage of Udoka and Favre. Retired players who have yet to be charged with a crime aren’t nearly as interesting as the current head coach of an NBA title contender. No one spent much time discussing Clinton Portis, Joe Horn, or a dozen other former NFL players defrauding a health care retirement fund for NFL players.

We should be talking about the sense of entitlement pervasive among athletes and other celebrities because of our culture’s out-of-control idolatry.

Entitlement explains the behavior of Favre, Udoka, Portis, and virtually all of America’s celebrities.

Why would Brett Favre, a man who earned more than $200 million on and off the field, allegedly attempt to financially benefit from welfare fraud in his home state of Mississippi?

He feels entitled. The world has catered to his every desire since he became a star at Southern Miss. He never waits in line for a table. Restaurants comp his meals and drinks. Women seek him out. Coaches, administrators, executives, agents, and well-wishers clean up his mistakes. Television broadcasters, radio hosts, and sports writers minimized his transgressions in exchange for access.

The TV networks wanted an on-field John Wayne to drive ratings, so they rewarded the people who did the best job of celebrating and worshiping Favre. Favre was an American Idol. No different from Michael Jordan.

We created Frankensteins.

The only thing that has really changed is our desperation to create the next batch of unwitting monsters and the number of media platforms with laboratories. We’ve gone from four TV networks to 300, local newspapers to thousands of blogs, local radio stations to thousands of podcasts, a handful of skilled tastemakers (John Madden, Howard Cosell, Bob Costas, Chris Berman, etc.) to a million hacks pontificating across the internet.

Entitlement drove Udoka to act in a way that damaged his career and may eventually cost him his job. He’s been catered to, too. He’s a former athlete. It doesn’t matter that he never reached professional stardom. I was a mediocre mid-major football player in the 1980s. I was catered to in high school and college. I wrestled with entitlement. As an adult, it took a reawakening of my faith to fully slay my sense of entitlement.

Corporate media tells black people to feel entitled. In the past 24 hours, Stephen A. Smith and many other sports media members have tried to paint Udoka as a victim. Without any proof, Smith and others have claimed the Boston Celtics leaked the Udoka story.

The allegation makes zero sense. The far more likely scenario is that Udoka and his handlers leaked the story to try to influence Boston’s punishment. Honestly, I don’t even believe the narrative that has been presented. Successful coaches do not get suspended/fired over a case of consensual workplace sex. There’s far more to this story than we’ll likely ever know.

What I do know is that Udoka acted selfishly and irresponsibly. It’s not surprising. He and Favre exist in the bubble of entitlement and idolatry we constructed for all athletes and celebrities.

11-time NBA champion Bill Russell dead at 88



Bill Russell – one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA – has died at the age of 88. The legendary Boston Celtics center passed away peacefully with his longtime wife by his side.

The announcement of Russell's death was made on social media.

"It is with a very heavy heart we would like to pass along to all of Bill's friends, fans and followers: Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side," the announcement read.

\u201cAn announcement\u2026\u201d
— TheBillRussell (@TheBillRussell) 1659287390

Russell was the rock of the Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1950s and 1960s.

Russell took home five MVP awards in his illustrious career and made 12 All-Star games.

ESPN noted, "During his 13 years in Boston, he carried the Celtics to the NBA Finals 12 times, winning the championship 11 times. The one year the Celtics lost, in 1958 to the St. Louis Hawks, the series was tied 2-2 when Russell got hurt and was hospitalized. The Celtics lost the next two games by a total of three points."

The NBA Finals MVP is named after Russell.

He also won two NCAA championships at the University of San Francisco, where he was named a two-time All-American player.

Russell won an Olympic gold medal with the United States basketball team in 1956.

The Celtics legend was awarded the Medal of Freedom by former President Barack Obama in 2011.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Russell "the greatest champion in all of team sports" in a statement released on Sunday.

Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports. The countless accolades that he earned for his storied career with the Boston Celtics – including a record 11 championships and five MVP awards – only begin to tell the story of Bill’s immense impact on our league and broader society.

Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps. Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

For nearly 35 years since Bill completed his trailblazing career as the league’s first Black head coach, we were fortunate to see him at every major NBA event, including the NBA Finals, where he presented the Bill Russell Trophy to the Finals MVP.

I cherished my friendship with Bill and was thrilled when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I often called him basketball’s Babe Ruth for how he transcended time. Bill was the ultimate winner and consummate teammate, and his influence on the NBA will be felt forever. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Jeannine, his family and his many friends.

"Arrangements for his memorial service will be announced soon," according to the statement from Russell's family.

China's state-run media ridicules critic of Communist nation Enes Kanter Freedom as 'ignorant and arrogant' after he was cut from NBA team



The Global Times — a media mouthpiece for China's Communist government — posted a blistering story Friday ridiculing NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom after he was cut from the Houston Rockets shortly after the Boston Celtics traded him last week.

Why? Because Freedom has been a vocal China critic, particularly in regard to its human rights abuses against the Uyghurs.

What did the paper say?

The Times wrote that upon hearing the news about Freedom, "netizens swarmed" to Twitter "mocking the player who has been ignorant and arrogant on China's core interests and internal affairs such as those involving Xinjiang, Xizang, and Taiwan."

The paper added a comment from Chen Weihua, China Daily's EU bureau chief, who said of Freedom: "Now you can be a full time John Bolton puppet."

World Daily added that Freedom's charge regarding Nike's "alleged use of 'forced labor' in China ... proved to be fictitious and fabricated."

The paper also included what it said was a comment from "another netizen" regarding Freedom's speaking slot at the Conservative Political Action Conference later in February in Orlando, Florida: "I always thought of you as someone that stood for freedom, and then I heard you're going to CPAC, the exact people that are actively taking away freedoms in the US."

And a Beijing-based sports commentator who requested anonymity told the Global Times that Freedom "didn't focus on basketball as a player and lost his job… And Chinese fans can expect to watch Boston's games soon."

The paper added that "Freedom repeatedly made false and irresponsible comments regarding China's Xinjiang in 2021. Meanwhile, he publicly declared his support for Xizang and Taiwan secessionists."

Anything else?

Freedom correctly predicted in an PBS interview last week that he'd soon be gone from basketball due to his views.

"They're going to do everything they can to, I believe, not sign me now."\n\nThe @Celtics' @EnesFreedom to @MargaretHoover \u2014 24 hrs before he was reportedly traded to @HoustonRockets and waived.\n\nHe says the NBA "for sure" wants to silence him for his advocacy & #China criticism.pic.twitter.com/GCJIW2KBOE
— Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@Firing Line with Margaret Hoover) 1644533701

Freedom became an American citizen last year and decided to officially change his name to Enes Kanter Freedom to mark the occasion.

Last month, Freedom blasted Chamath Palihapitiya, a co-owner of the Golden State Warriors, for brushing off China's oppression of the Uyghurs. "When genocides happen, it is people like this that let it happen," Freedom said of Palihapitiya.

Freedom added in a subsequent tweet that Palihapitiya's "disgusting" comments are "against everything the @nbastands for; I want the #NBA commissioner Adam Silver & @warriors board members to step in and push him to [sell] his shares."

Freedom also has boldly spoken out against NBA icons like LeBron James for cozying up to China and ignoring the Communist nation's human rights abuses.

(H/T: National Review)

Enes Kanter Freedom — NBA player and vocal China critic — suddenly has no team. Just like he predicted would happen.



Enes Kanter Freedom — the NBA center who's made headlines for criticizing China's human rights record, all while playing for a league that craves the communist country's cash — predicted in an PBS interview that he'd soon be gone from basketball due to his views:

"They're going to do everything they can to, I believe, not sign me now."\n\nThe @Celtics' @EnesFreedom to @MargaretHoover \u2014 24 hrs before he was reportedly traded to @HoustonRockets and waived.\n\nHe says the NBA "for sure" wants to silence him for his advocacy & #China criticism.pic.twitter.com/GCJIW2KBOE
— Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@Firing Line with Margaret Hoover) 1644533701

"Soon" turned out to be 24 hours after his above interview with Margaret Hoover.

On Thursday, Freedom's now-former team, the Boston Celtics, traded him to the Houston Rockets — and with that, the Rockets cut him, Outkick reported.

"Coincidence?" the outlet asked in its headline.

In his PBS interview, Hoover asked Freedom, “Do you think they’re trying to silence you?”

With that, Freedom — who became an American citizen last year and decided to officially change his name to Enes Kanter Freedom to mark the occasion — replied, “Oh, for sure they are."

It's worth noting that the Rockets in 2019 were embroiled in controversy after then-General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong — a move that cost the team significant China partnerships.

Anything else?

Last month Freedom blasted Chamath Palihapitiya, a co-owner of the Golden State Warriors, for brushing off China's oppression of the Uyghurs. "When genocides happen, it is people like this that let it happen," Freedom said of Palihapitiya.

Freedom added in a subsequent tweet that Palihapitiya's "disgusting" comments are "against everything the @nbastands for; I want the #NBA commissioner Adam Silver & @warriors board members to step in and push him to [sell] his shares."

Freedom also has boldly spoken out against NBA icons like LeBron James for cozying up to China and ignoring the communist nation's human rights abuses.

And just this week it was announced that Freedom is slated to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) later in February in Orlando, Florida.

"The world needs to understand! I do NOT care about politics. The only thing I care about is Human rights, Freedom and being the voice for the voiceless," Freedom tweeted Monday. "The question people should ask themselves is; Despite our differences, what can we do to make this world better, TOGETHER?"

NBA Star Enes Kanter Calls Out China While NBA And Nike Stay Silent

Enes Kanter has been called a hero for speaking out and characterized as brave. Still, the big and mighty NBA and Nike have chosen to be silent.