NBA player Enes Kanter goes off on Nike, LeBron James for profiting off Uyghurs, invites them to visit the 'slave labor camps'



Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter in recent days has publicly condemned the Chinese Communist Party for their enslavement and oppression of Uyghur Muslims, calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a "brutal dictator" and urging the Chinese government to "stop the genocide."

But on Monday, the Turkish basketball star and progressive activist set his aim on those he claims are profiting off the slave labor — such as global sports brand Nike as well as NBA legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

What did he say?

In a video posted to his various social media accounts, Kanter lambasted Nike CEO Phil Knight for failing to speak up about the atrocities in China.

"Dear Nike, your company says that you're making a positive impact in our communities," Kanter began. "And that is true. Yes, you are. Here, in the United States, Nike stands with Black Lives Matter, Nike stands with Stop Asian Hate, Nike stands with the Latino community, and Nike stands with the LGBTQ community. And Nike remains vocal about injustice here in America."

"But when it comes to China, Nike remains silent," he continued. "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 Celtics star then went on to argue that Nike's products are produced using forced labor and that, in fact, "almost the entire apparel and footwear industry is tainted by Uyghur forced labor."

"Who makes your shoes in China? Do you even know? There are so many forced labor factories in China," Kanter said, referring to the situation as "modern-day slavery."

"Many well-known global brands are implicated," he continued. "And yes, that includes one of the NBA's biggest sponsors, Nike. Nike claims that they do not allow any forced labor in their supply chains. Yet, they don't have the receipts to prove it."

Nike has maintained that it "does not source products from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and [has confirmed with] contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region." But Kanter is not convinced.

What else?

Kanter ended his video by inviting Knight, Jordan, and James to take a trip with him to China to see the slave labor camps for themselves.

"Nike likes to say 'Just Do It.' Well, what are you doing about the slave labor that makes your shoes? That slave labor that makes you rich," he said. "To the owner of Nike — Phil Knight — I have a message for you. How about I book plane tickets for us, let's fly to China together. We can try to visit these slave labor camps and you can see with your own eyes. LeBron James and Michael Jordan, you guys are welcome to come too. Nike must be a participant in this. Stop the hypocrisy. Stop the modern-day slavery now."

Earlier in the video, the Celtics center didn't mince words when it came to explaining the horrors of the situation.

"Don't forget, every time you put those shoes on your feet, or you put that T-shirt on your back, there are some many tears and so much oppression, and so much blood behind it all," he argued.

Anything else?

Following Kanter's first video, in which he voiced support for Tibetan independence, Chinese authorities wiped future Celtics games from their TV schedule and erased past replays.

In the video, Kanter said, "My message to the Chinese government is 'Free Tibet.' Tibet belongs to Tibetans. I am here to add my voice and speak out about what is happening in Tibet. Under the Chinese government's brutal rule, Tibetan people's basic rights and freedoms are nonexistent."

"They are not allowed to study and learn their language and culture freely," he went on to say. "They are not allowed to travel freely, they are not allowed to access information freely, Tibetan people are not even allowed to worship freely."

(H/T: The Daily Wire)

Whitlock: Dave Chappelle, Floyd Mayweather, and Enes Kanter strike mammoth blows in the culture war



Monday felt like a tipping point in the social justice culture war raging across Silicon Valley's social media apps.

One of the key purposes of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook is the control of celebrity influencers. The apps reinforce the message of the handlers of athletes and other celebrities.

When presidential candidate Joe Biden says, "You ain't black" if you fail to vote for me, it's the job of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to affirm that sentiment. Once the social media apps affirm the belief, multimillionaire celebrities know what positions they should take.

It's why 95 percent of all celebrities pretend to think the exact same things and why 99.9 percent of them say the exact same things. And it's why they get upset and turn verbally vicious when one of their peers breaks ranks. Remember Chelsea Handler, a white Jew, scolding black rapper 50 Cent for questioning Joe Biden's tax policies. Handler went on Jimmy Fallon's TV show to remind 50 Cent that he was black and promised 50 access to her overused vagina.

50 Cent backed down.

Dave Chappelle didn't. On Monday, the iconic comedian released a video reacting to the controversy engulfing his latest Netflix comedy special. Last week, a handful of Netflix employees staged a publicity stunt/walkout because they believe "The Closer" expressed transphobic and homophobic viewpoints. The protesters want Netflix to remove the comedy special from the streaming service. So far, Netflix has refused.

"To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anyone's demands …

"I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix. It seems like I'm the only one who can't go to the office."

Yes, Monday felt very different. It wasn't just Dave Chappelle.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather released a social media video supporting NBA star Kyrie Irving. Irving, of course, has been banned from the Brooklyn Nets facility until he submits to taking the COVID vaccine.

"A free mind makes its own choices, an enslaved mind follows the crowd," Mayweather said. "Stand for something or fall for anything. … It's crazy how people hate you for being a leader. I hope your actions encourage many others to stand up and say 'enough is enough.' Respect to you, Kyrie, and power to the people."

Mayweather just demonstrated more courage than the overwhelming majority of Irving's NBA peers. It's my belief that most professional athletes would prefer to not take the vaccine. They're young. They're in peak physical condition. COVID poses virtually no threat to them. They agree with Kyrie's stance. But they're afraid to say so. They're afraid to publicly support a peer who is taking a courageous stand.

They don't want to be on the wrong side of a Twitter or Facebook algorithm. Thank God, Mayweather delights in being the bad guy. Thank God, Mayweather values being able to say whatever he believes.

So does Enes Kanter. Kanter is a longtime NBA player from Turkey. On Monday, Kanter released a video torching Nike's hypocrisy on China's human rights abuses. Kanter specifically called out Nike founder Phil Knight and the shoe company's most prominent pitchmen, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

"When it comes to China, Nike remains silent," Kanter said. "You do not address police brutality in China. You do not speak about discrimination in the LGBTQ community. You do not say a word about the oppression of minorities in China. You are scared to speak up."

Yes, they are. But more than that, they are frauds. They blast America because social media algorithms reward criticism of the country that made them rich and famous. They blast America because the Chinese Communist Party rewards criticism of the country that made LeBron, Jordan, and Colin Kaepernick rich and famous.

Monday felt different. It feels like more and more celebrities are breaking free of the chains that control their thoughts and actions. As more break free, it's much easier to identify the true sellouts, the celebrities beholden to China and Silicon Valley.

Nike CEO touts company as ‘of China and for China’



Nike's chief executive officer recently made a strong defense of its business prospects in China, issuing comments that are sure to spark controversy regarding where the sports apparel company's loyalties lie.

"Nike is a brand that is of China and for China," insisted Nike CEO John Donahue during an earnings call last week, according to BBC News.

The comments reportedly came as part of a discussion on the company's fourth-quarter earnings. Despite making significant gains across the board, Nike's earnings in China fell short of Wall Street analyst estimates.

The dip appears to be the result of a consumer boycott in the country over a recent statement it made raising concerns about forced labor practices in Xinjiang.

In the statement, the sportswear giant said it was "concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)" and maintained it "does not source products from the XUAR and [has confirmed with] contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region."

Last year, Nike — along with several other U.S. companies — came under fire in the West over its alleged use of forced labor linked to the Muslim Uyghur slave trade in Xinjiang, a massive Chinese region where roughly one-fifth of the world's cotton is sourced.

The Chinese Communist Party has characterized Western companies' decisions to avoid using cotton sourced from the region as an effort to hamper the country's economy.

Yet despite the dip in Chinese business, Donahue asserted that the company would double down on its outsized efforts there.

"We've always taken a long-term view. We've been in China for over 40 years," Donahue said.

"We are the largest sport brand there, and we are a brand of China and for China," he reportedly added. "And the biggest asset we have in China is the consumer equity. Consumers feel a strong, deep connection to the Nike, Jordan, and Converse brands in China. And it's real."

Critics of the sportswear company are sure to perceive the move as another example of its bending the knee to communist China in shameless pursuit of more profit.

"Nike cannot serve America and China. It has chosen its master, and it is not us," conservative sports commentator and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock wrote over the weekend.

He added: "China is a communist-run, authoritarian, racist country. America is (or has been) a democratic republic pursuing freedom and fairness. You can't be of China and for China and serve America."