“No Beijing 2022”: NBA professional Ennis Kanter calls for an Olympic boycott

Basketball professional Enes Kanter used to lash out at his criticism – and he didn’t allow himself to be derailed for years. The 29-year-old NBA player from the Boston Celtics mocked longtime Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his remarks and only posted a photo of a Turkish arrest warrant against him on Twitter two weeks ago. His Turkish passport is said to have been withdrawn since 2017, and Kanter is considered stateless. But now fellow national teammate Dennis Schroeder has picked new targets: China, Chinese President Xi Jinping, the upcoming Winter Games in Beijing and Nike. The allegations range from human rights abuses to profits from “modern slavery”.

Since October 20 – the day the Celtics played their first game of the new NBA season – Kanter has posted nine tweets. Recently, on Saturday, he posted and wrote to the Chinese government and “insecure tyrant” Xi Jinping that the host role for the Winter Olympics should not be allowed. He also posted pictures of his basketball shoes with a special design – including the slogans “No Beijing 2022”, “No rights – no games” and “Games postponed”. Nike is accused of defending minority rights in the US, but not in China. The series began with a call for Tibetan freedom, with Kanter calling Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator.”