Opinion: This Utah Jazz fan will be cheering for Enes Kanter next time he’s in SLC

Due to Enes Kanter’s willingness to bravely stand up in the face of oppression, this Utah Jazz fan will be proudly applauding him from here on out.

If you had to identify one current NBA player that is most universally disliked by Utah Jazz fans, there’s a good chance that he’d be one of two guys suiting up for the Boston Celtics. One of those is Gordon Hayward, who left the Jazz in free agency three summers back, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of fans for the way in which he went about his business during his departure.

The other, and the one I wish to speak of today, is Enes Kanter, who likewise left Utah on a sour note and threw even more gasoline on the fire with blunt comments after the fact about missing little else besides the mountains after getting out of Salt Lake City. Due to Kanter’s disappointing stay with the Jazz and his attitude towards the state and team following his departure, he’s long been met with a healthy spattering of boos every time he’s returned to Vivint Arena.

Personally, I’m not one to join in the chorus of boos against former members of the Jazz regardless of how they left. But even so, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t originally on the same side as those showing their bitterness for the former Jazzman. His actions and attitude those several seasons ago certainly earned him the disdain of the Utah faithful.

However, the old saying goes that ‘time heals all.’ Throughout the years, Kanter has shown a significantly higher maturity. And while he’s endured ups and downs both on and off the court with several stops along the way – Oklahoma City, New York, Portland and now Boston – I’ve definitely softened in my former calloused attitude towards him.

That would have likely happened even if he had kept his mouth completely sealed shut these past five years. But, on the contrary, he’s actually been quite vocal during that time.

And it just so happens to be for that very reason, that not only am I willing to let the past go when it comes to Enes Kanter, but I will actually be cheering and applauding him the next time he returns to play in the Beehive State.

For those unfamiliar with what I’m talking about, let me backtrack a bit. Enes Kanter originally hails from Turkey, though he’s no longer welcome in his home country. As Kanter has repeatedly spoken out about the oppression coming from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the government’s infringements on freedoms and human rights, he has found himself in a precarious situation in relation to his native country.

He has been extended an international arrest warrant. He’s unable to visit his country or even communicate with his family. He’s been on the receiving end of death threats. It’s unsafe for him to travel outside of the United States as he was once at risk of being kidnapped after hosting a basketball camp in Indonesia. The list goes on and on.

In short, there’s been significant tragedy and danger surrounding Kanter’s life due to him taking a stand for what he believes in – a stand that is in support of freedom and democracy. But despite those risks and hardships, Enes has maintained his stance unabashedly and hasn’t backed down regardless of the cost. His courage and willingness to speak out has brought light to a tenuous and little-known situation as he attempts to fight against corruption and in favor of those who cannot raise a voice of their own.

Kanter has been the picture of courage in standing up for what’s right. And for that reason, he has earned my support, especially in light of current events surrounding the NBA and China.

Let’s compare Kanter’s stand to the recent comments made by NBA superstar LeBron James. When asked about his thoughts on the current debacle circling the NBA and the Chinese government – an issue that was sparked by a tweet from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey – he had a less than inspiring answer.

Rather than take advantage of the opportunity to speak out against an oppressive government or in favor of ending the human rights violations taking place, or backing up Morey’s right to freedom of speech, James instead insinuated that Morey was ‘uneducated’ in his comment, and did little short of merely siding with the Chinese government on the matter.

Here’s his quote in full (per USA Today):

"“I don’t want to get in a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey. But I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke. So many people could have been harmed, not only physically or financially, but emotionally and spiritually. Just be careful what we tweet, what we say and what we do. We do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative things that come with that too.”“I believe he was misinformed or not really educated on the situation,” James said of Morey. “If he was, so be it. I have no idea, but that’s my belief. When you say things or do things, you’re doing it and know the things that can be affected by it and the families and individuals that can be affected by it. Sometimes it can be changed as well. Sometimes social media is not a proper way to go about things as well. That’s just my belief.”"

Sure, LeBron James is allowed to say whatever he wants. But for someone who has posed as a social justice warrior and human rights activist ready and willing to comment on any item where he feels apt to make an impact, this is a bad look. Rather than using his platform to stand for freedom, human rights and as a voice against oppression, he chose instead to protect his own business assets in China and ignore others who are currently facing inhumanity.

Now, in fairness, let me state two things on the matter. Admittedly, I was not well-informed of this situation prior to the Daryl Morey tweet and subsequent fallout. I would presume many people in the United States would feel the same. It was for this reason that, for example, Steve Kerr‘s initial statement to the media didn’t bother me that much. In his defense, things should be studied out and thought through before blanket statements are made. I would have had no clue how to answer the initial questions either.

However, once it became a more commonly recognized issue, I made the effort to become better informed on the matter. I took the time to look into it, study it, and arrive at my own conclusion. And it wasn’t hard to do. It wasn’t difficult for me to learn the facts then opt to side with the sentiment expressed in Daryl Morey’s tweet that human rights are being infringed upon in Hong Kong, and those who champion freedom and democracy ought to stand with them.

Unlike Kerr (in his initial statement anyway), LeBron wasn’t faced with questions on China immediately after the blow-up happened. Because players weren’t permitted to speak to the media while in China, James and others had plenty of time to think things over, educate themselves on the matter and come up with an appropriate response. Yes, I know their focus is on their jobs and basketball – as it should be! – but he had to know questions were coming and he certainly had time to get up to speed on the matter in such a way that he could make a fitting response.

Based on LeBron’s past efforts of championing human rights, the hope had to have been that he would continue down that path. Instead, James showed his true colors that, when push comes to shove, his personal well-being is far more important than the lives of others he has so boldly aimed to defend in the past. He had a chance to show courage and make a tough but correct choice. Instead, he sided with a corrupt Chinese government and the flow of money into his own pockets associated with it.

I get it. I really do. It’s a business decision. But you can’t go all-out social justice warrior when it’s convenient for you, then turn your back on that same characteristic the moment it becomes inconvenient. That’s hypocrisy at it’s finest and it simply doesn’t work that way.

If LeBron wants to be respected when he speaks out on important matters and known as someone that stands up against injustice, he should be willing to do it all the time, not just when it’s easy and inconsequential.

The second item I’ll add has to do with James’ tweets after the fact where he supposedly aimed to clear up confusion:

What I want to bring up here is that when LeBron mentioned that “Morey could have waited a week”, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was referring to the fact that Morey’s tweet would have been less threatening had it not been sent while two NBA teams – the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets – were in China for preseason action.

For one thing, there’s no way Morey expected such a dramatic political fallout from his message. Nevertheless, it’s true that I can understand how the NBA players in China at the time felt uneasy considering they were in the country in the midst of this unforeseen firestorm.

That said, the fact that James also had the audacity to add that it had been “a difficult week” for him and his teammates in China while there are people fighting for basic freedoms and human rights in Hong Kong being wrongly punished and imprisoned for speaking out against an oppressive government is absolutely atrocious. An uncomfortable week for you, LeBron, cannot even come close to the hardships people in Hong Kong (and countless other places with similar struggles around the world, I might add) are facing day in and day out in their fight for freedom.

It’s quite clear that Kanter felt similarly about LeBron’s pathetic response. Without specifically naming LeBron, shortly following James’ comments, Kanter tweeted out the following:

Then, finally, using his own experiences and willingness to stand up for what’s right regardless of the personal risk or cost, Enes added the following:

Certainly Kanter can empathize more with what is happening to those in Hong Kong as he and people close to him have dealt with similar struggles. James would do well to take a page out of Kanter’s book and remember that final statement – that ‘Freedom is not Free.’

James dug himself into more of a hole on Tuesday by further ignoring the situation and making quips like “we’re not politicians” and “I won’t talk about it again.” See the full quotes (per ESPN) below:

"“That’s my main goal right now. I feel like I talked about it yesterday. I tweeted out responses to people not understanding my knowledge and where it came from with my brain and learning from the situation. I’m talking about it now. I won’t talk about it again.“I’d be cheating my teammates by continuing to harp on something that won’t benefit us. We’re trying to win a championship. That’s what we’re here for. We’re not politicians. It’s a huge political thing. But we are leaders and we can step up at times. I’m not saying at this particular time, but if you don’t feel like you should speak on things, you shouldn’t have to.”"

What is bizarre about this is that James has never shied away from speaking about matters that also were political, some that likewise could be viewed as distractions that were ‘cheating his teammates’ and so on and so forth. But here, at this instant, where he had a chance to truly stand up against oppression and inhumanity and speak out against a matter that is negatively impacting millions of innocent people, he instead all of a sudden decided to remain quiet.

As stated in his clarifying tweets, he opted to shy away from “discussing the substance” and state that “[o]thers can talk about that”, even though he’s never been one to leave these kinds of matters to ‘others’ in the past.

LeBron is absolutely right that he doesn’t have to speak out on these things. He’s absolutely right that he doesn’t have to step up all the time. And he’s absolutely right that he’s not a politician. But his refusal to take a stand here makes it hard to believe that there’s real intent behind any of the other times he’s claimed to be fighting for what’s right.

The main difference this time around is that while he didn’t stand to lose anything from the past times when he spoke out against or in favor of varying political issues, this time he does. When James actually had skin in the game, he no longer had the courage to speak out. That’s what makes his recent statements so heinous in my mind. Suddenly all the other stands he’s taken feel much more akin to publicity stunts designed to further fill his pockets rather than true acts of sincerity.

When LeBron has spoken out in the past, there have been things I’ve both agreed and disagreed with. But even when I’ve disagreed, I’ve appreciated that he’s been willing to take a stand and to do so for what he believes to be right. The fact that the NBA not only enables but encourages its players to speak their minds and get involved in what they view as a just cause is something I greatly admire about the league.

But this latest incident led by one who many consider the face of the league in LeBron James is an appalling embarrassment. If James can’t find it in himself to speak out against China’s vile treatment of the citizens of Hong Kong, not to mention the oppression placed on all its citizens, the cruelty of the Uyghur camps and several other repulsive occurrences that get swept under the rug, I don’t know how he can say with a straight face that he is a champion against injustice.

Meanwhile, Kanter continues to stand up in the face of oppression regardless of the risks, personal loss/hardship, and financial impacts. He understands what it’s like to have freedoms taken away and knows that it’s worth all costs to stand up and defend them. Hopefully other NBA stars will have the courage to follow in his footsteps. Maybe LeBron will find the courage to take a page out of Kanter’s book.

Either way, though, I find Enes’ bravery and determination to be admirable. His actions are far more than enough to erase past feelings of pettiness I may have had at how he left the Jazz.

So, this time around when Enes Kanter comes to Vivint Arena, he still may very well be showered with boos from the home crowd for his past decisions and actions. But, due to his unrelenting courage in the face of oppression and social injustice, I will proudly be on my feet cheering for him, applauding his bravery.

Thank you, Enes, for standing up for freedom regardless of the risks associated with doing so.