Former Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom believes that billionaire Elon Musk could bring “justice” to the NBA if he purchased the league.
Elon Musk has made waves in his aggressive bid to buy Twitter, but Enes Kanter Freedom has another major purchase in mind for Musk: the NBA.
The former Boston Celtics center, who was recently traded to the Houston Rockets and cut on Feb. 14, joined Fox News to discuss his uncertain future in the league. Kanter Freedom touched on his desire to see the tech billionaire buy the league because of Musk’s political views.
“That would be my dream… I think what he’s for free speech is amazing. He can bring some justice to NBA, and finally, maybe, I can get to play basketball.”
“They’re pushing me to retire at the age of 29 because I speak out,” Kanter Freedom said earlier in the interview.
Enes Kanter Freedom wants Elon Musk to buy the NBA and protect free speech
Since 2011, Kanter Freedom has been a presence in the league, but the 29-year-old is no longer on an NBA roster. According to Kanter Freedom, that’s a result of his willingness to speak out against human rights abuses in China. Specifically, Kanter Freedom has called attention to the treatment of Uyghur Muslims and Tibetan minorities in China, according to France24. In April, Kanter Freedom traveled to Geneva in the hopes of meeting UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to speak about these issues before she traveled to China.
“We don’t have time to wait. People are dying and getting killed, so she definitely needs to push whoever she needs to push,” Kanter Freedom said at the time.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has denied that the Houston Rockets’ decision to cut him was related to activism, and when Kanter Freedom was with the Celtics, head coach Ime Udoka stressed that it was Kanter Freedom’s defensive issues that were a problem, not his political views.
Kanter Freedom has openly criticized the NBA for their reluctance to support activism that criticizes human rights abuses in China, which he discussed at length in his interview with Fox.
Perhaps Kanter Freedom got the idea to get Musk to buy the league after seeing the Houston Rockets Twitter account pose as Musk and secure the No. 1 draft pick for the Rockets.