Former NBA Player Vows to Expose China Ties

Buckingham Palace facade with Union Jack flag and ornate gate — Photo: Mistervlad / Shutterstock

Enes Kanter Freedom says he is about to show fans exactly how deep the NBA’s financial ties to China really go, and he claims the league “has no idea what’s coming.”

Quick Take

Kanter Freedom, a former NBA center, says he will expose the NBA’s business ties to China.
Chinese streaming giant Tencent pulled Boston Celtics broadcasts after Kanter’s 2021 pro-Tibet posts.
The NBA’s deal with Tencent made China the league’s largest partner outside the United States.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has defended free speech rights while admitting China business comes with a cost.

Former Player Says League Hides Its China Problem

Enes Kanter Freedom, who played eleven seasons in the NBA, says the league talks a big game about standing up for players’ free speech but goes quiet when China is involved. He has spent years accusing the NBA of staying silent on human rights abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Hong Kong protesters while keeping its profitable Chinese business running smoothly. He now says he plans to reveal new details about those ties.

Kanter Freedom’s criticism is not new. He has repeated it for years on television and social media, often naming specific companies and NBA figures he says put profit ahead of principle. His latest comments suggest he believes there is more evidence still to come, not just repeated talking points from past interviews.

A Five-Year Deal Worth Hundreds of Millions

The numbers behind the NBA-China relationship are large. In 2019, the NBA and Tencent announced a five-year extension of their partnership, with Tencent providing live games, video-on-demand, and interactive content to fans across China. The deal named Tencent the NBA’s biggest partner outside the United States. Tencent’s digital reach into China’s massive basketball fan base made the agreement one of the league’s most valuable international deals.

Tencent Pulled the Celtics After Kanter Spoke Out

That business relationship came under strain in October 2021. After Kanter, then with the Celtics, posted messages supporting Tibet and criticizing China’s treatment of its people, Tencent pulled the broadcast of Boston’s season-opening game against the New York Knicks. Chinese social media users attacked both Kanter and his team. The timing left little doubt that his comments, not coincidence, triggered the blackout.

Nike and LeBron James Also Face Questions

Kanter has not limited his criticism to the NBA. He has repeatedly accused Nike of staying quiet about labor practices tied to its factories in China, and he has specifically called out LeBron James for what he calls a “money over morals” approach to the country. Nike and the NBA largely avoided public comment when Kanter first raised these claims in 2021.

Silver Says Free Speech Applies to Everyone, But Consequences Follow

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has pushed back on the idea that the league picks and chooses which political speech to support. After Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey posted support for Hong Kong protesters in 2019, Silver said the league would not punish employees for political views and would not “regulate” what players or owners say. China’s state broadcaster responded by pulling NBA preseason games entirely.

“They have no idea what’s coming.”

Enes Kanter Freedom hints at his next move against the NBA while criticizing its financial ties to China. pic.twitter.com/hLS4drqwTc

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 29, 2026

Silver has also acknowledged that defending free speech comes at a financial cost in China. He said Chinese government and business contacts pushed the league to fire Morey, and the NBA refused. Still, the record shows the NBA’s clearest public defense of speech centers on Morey’s case, with less public detail on how the league handled other China-related criticism from its own players, including Kanter.

A Pattern Bigger Than One League

Researchers who study China’s influence over global business describe a repeating pattern: content bans, pressure to reverse statements, and companies censoring themselves to keep access to Chinese consumers. The NBA has lived through this cycle more than once, and it returned to China in 2025 hoping to rebuild ties after years of lost revenue. Soccer star Kylian Mbappé and other athletes have faced similar backlash for comments about China.

For fans frustrated with powerful institutions answering to money instead of principle, Kanter Freedom’s promise to expose more details taps into a wider distrust. Whether his claims bring new facts or repeat old complaints, they renew a question many Americans already ask about major corporations: who do they really answer to when profit and principle collide?