Enes Kanter Freedom Claims He's Been Blackballed From The NBA: "I Could've Played In The League Another 6 Years"

The NBA season is almost halfway done, and the storylines and narratives around the league have been endless throughout. Many players and head coaches have been in the limelight for positive reasons as well as negative ones. But perhaps no one has been as radical in their controversies as Enes Kanter Freedom. 

Enes Kanter Freedom was waived by the Houston Rockets in February of 2022 after the Boston Celtics traded him away. While he had enjoyed some productive spells in the past averaging over 15 points a game, Freedom had fallen off quite a bit during his final year with the Celtics. And after being waived by the Houston Rockets, he received no offers from other teams, something he raised a stink about. 

Freedom claims he's been blackballed from the NBA for his outspoken comments about the Chinese government and its activities. And he once again spoke out about it in an interview with John Stossel. 

"I could’ve played in the league another 6 years… you’re telling me in 1 year I forgot how to play basketball? That’s a lie… everybody in the NBA knows I am being blackballed.”

While there is something to be said for the things Freedom has been fighting for, it's also true that in his last 3 seasons in the league, his averages didn't look very good. Furthermore, his defense had been quite bad as well. But that hasn't stopped him from calling out the NBA and its executives time and time again, he even went at Adam Silver at one point. 

Enes Kanter Freedom Called Out Adam Silver After The Kyrie Irving Controversy

Earlier in the year, Kyrie Irving got himself into hot water when he shared something that had anti-Semitic content. Since then, however, Irving apologized and has come back to play and excelled in the league. While Freedom is nowhere close to being the player Kyrie was, he took the moment to call out NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. 

"Calling out #China for the ongoing Genocide gets you kicked out of the @NBA , but when promoting a movie that says Jews worship Satan, you can buy your apology.

The double standard is real.

Shame on the #NBA & Adam Silver for picking & choosing when they care about human rights."

There is no way to verify any of the claims Freedom has made, although the NBA denies that they have blackballed the center. There is no way to tell what's gone on unless one knows someone entrenched in the league and its activities, but it looks like Freedom won't stop talking about these things anytime soon.