The NBA made the bad decision to enter into politics.
The league alienated fans who did not want a lecture when turning on a game.
But one NBA player was run out of the league for a shocking reason.
Sports have become deeply politicized ever since former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick ignited the anti-American anthem protests in 2016.
Soon after, other athletes jumped on board.
LeBron James suddenly became vocal on political issues, and even campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
The NBA veered directly into politics in 2020 in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests.
The league even shut down in the middle of the playoffs after alleged rapist Jacob Blake got shot by police officers while resisting arrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
However, the league had a far different approach when it came to human rights abuses in China.
NBA center Enes Kanter—who recently became an American citizen and changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom—was the only player who was willing to call out the Chinese Communist Party and the horrific treatment of the Uyghur Muslims.
And now Kanter’s NBA career is in jeopardy for that reason.
Kanter explained to a TMZ reporter, “They’re pushing me to retire at the age of 30, unfortunately…You know, when you talk about some uncomfortable situations happening around the world and your organization that you played for for 11 years tied up billions of dollars with that dictatorship (China), unfortunately, it’s tough. I’m going to push through it. I’m still working out. I’m still practicing. But, the one thing I can say is, NBA and Adam Silver is one of the most hypocritical organizations and one of the most hypocritical commissioners out there in the world. They stand up for things until it affects their money or business.”
It’s easy for Kaepernick and other athletes to trash America.
They’re rewarded for bad-mouthing the country because so many leftists, particularly in elite media, have a deep-seated antipathy for America.
That is the by-product of decades of Marxist indoctrination in universities.
But criticizing China becomes dangerous because the NBA is so heavily reliant on the Chinese market.
Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey almost got fired for expressing support for pro-freedom protesters in Hong Kong.
LeBron James even had the gall to call Morey “uneducated” on the matter.
James was quick to defend his Chinese paymasters, but will attack his own country any chance he gets.
Liberals love to talk about the so-called persecution of Kaepernick, but his career was clearly on the decline.
Meanwhile, Kanter’s minutes were slashed almost to nothing despite being a consistently productive player.
He has become an embarrassment for the league because he continues to call out the league’s hypocrisy.
The NBA has quietly toned down the political rhetoric, but the damage has already been done.
If Kanter is indeed run out of the league, it will be further evidence of the league’s cowardice.
