29-year-old Enes Kanter Freedom has made waves around the NBA community to speak out on social justice issues.
Besides officially changing his last name, the man made a number of statements calling for Chinese communism and all those who, in his eyes, failed to draw attention to the problem.
Recently, he sought Michael Jordan for not using his power and prestige to help the black community.
“Not a lot of people talk about Michael Jordan,” Innes said. “Michael Jordan has done nothing, nothing, for the black community in America but, you know, give them money. I feel like we need to call these athletes. At least LeBron James get out there and have a voice. All these oppressed people in America. Michael Jordan has done nothing for the black community because he cares so much about his shoe sales all over the world and America, and I feel like we need to call on these athletes and not be afraid of who they are.”
Freedom’s mission is noble and it is nice to see him use his position to fight for human rights.
While it can be demonstrated that MJ can, and should, do more for the black community, he has enabled many African Americans to pursue their dreams and break many boundaries with his role as an NBA team owner and businessman.
On “The Big Podcast,” Shaquille O’Neal was one of the latest people to share Freedom comments about Jordan and he made his position perfectly clear.
“I understand your approach to LeBron, but don’t talk about what Mike does to the black community,” Shaq said on “The Big Podcast.” “I don’t know his name, I don’t memorize his name, I don’t give anything to change his name to him.”
Metta Sandiford-Artest offered a similar perspective and went into more detail about why he thought Enes might have gotten a little carried away.
“I feel like it’s come a little bit because you can’t blame some people for doing what they’re doing. For example: You make it to the league. You make a lot of money. Let’s say you’re Michael Jordan. You’re not trying to mess with your strength because you don’t get those chances that often. . Some people are built differently. And I think he looks at it like, “We’re here now in America, doing something right.” But we are out of the trenches. I’m from New York, where the police used to plant drugs on us. We’re a trencher guy, trying to make it. Didn’t get that part. He looks at me from the “we’re going to fight for black people” perspective but doesn’t understand what comes with that. “
The NBA athletes have a platform that very few Americans enjoy. They have the resources and power to make some changes in the real world.
But when it comes to human rights issues, things can get complicated. Standing up against certain things a certain way can have some consequences, even for people like LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
If you ask Meta and Shack, you can’t blame a guy for just trying to “make it happen.” However, men like Ennis and others will continue to hold the biggest names in the NBA accountable.