3 reasons the Utah Jazz should say no to Freedom
He has simply made himself unlikable
Like it or not, the NBA is a very left-leaning sports league. Its fans are predominantly people of color, it is a very urban-centric game, middle America does not follow it that closely, and it has the youngest fans out of any of the major leagues. That’s a recipe for a fanbase that leans in heavily to the left-wing train of thought. No matter where you stand, you can see at least that much.
A very leftist thing is standing up for human rights violations, even at the cost of personal wealth. I can safely say that Freedom has done that. His Turkish citizenship was basically revoked after his comments against the corrupt government. He has stood up to NBA policies regarding China. Those policies, in summary, say that the NBA stands against the human rights violations but will continue to conduct business in the country. Freedom, in response, has had a lot to say.
So far, Freedom seems like he would be a champion for the left leaning-NBA. Then he became a Fox News champion. This is where I will get on my soapbox. If you want, feel free to stop reading now.
It is my opinion that, when playing with mostly black men in liberal cities, it is not a good idea to tell them to “just keep their mouth shut” about the social justice issues that plague them.
I’ve lived in Turkey. I’ve read about China and the current Uyghur genocide. I have firsthand experience with tyrannical governments in Turkey. It’s bad. Worse than here, for sure. But I’m saying that as a white man. To suggest that black men and women (and other marginalized communities) should, well, shut up and dribble, doesn’t make you very endearing to the community you want to play with.
Fans love to rag on LeBron James and other NBA stars for picking who they want to play with. That’s an asinine and downright stupid hill to die on. LeBron James is a top three NBA player ever. If he doesn’t want someone on his team, you don’t force him to play with him.
The same goes for teams. If established NBA players as a whole want to reject someone based on anything, that’s their prerogative. I don’t think it’s too much for players to avoid someone who has consistently marginalized their struggles. The “it’s worse elsewhere” attitude is counterproductive.
If we are following the “it’s worse elsewhere logic”, Freedom and his family are rather hypocritical. Freedom’s father was jailed in Turkey for over a year due to his dissent against the government. Freedom himself has expressed fear of returning home. But let’s face it: it could be worse.
By his own mindset, Freedom should instead focus all his efforts on worse countries than Turkey. China comes to mind, and he’s doing an admirable job. He could also focus on Ukraine, where things are worse than just having social media censored.
Freedom believes he’s been blackballed by the NBA and its players. He claims the NBA and China are in cahoots against him because he stands up to the Chinese government and the NBA, which does business with them. If that’s true, good for him. He’s a hero. I suspect the Chinese government and the League offices have bigger fish to fry than the ramblings of a role player, though.
The second option Freedom has proposed is that the NBA is blackballing him due to his prominence as a conservative token. That may actually have some merit, but if it’s players and coaches who don’t want to deal with him, that’s their choice and they have the right to stick by it.
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The third option makes a lot more sense: Enes Freedom was never a star, he’s getting older, and his flaws now overshadow his strength. He played ten full seasons in the NBA, more than most, and it may be time to hang it up. It’s not the NBA’s job to help him propel his delusions.