Enes Kanter Freedom, the NBA backup center whose criticism of LeBron James and the Chinese government made him popular among conservatives, announced he'll no longer speak at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference.
Freedom, who formally adopted that last name after becoming a U.S. citizen in November, was recently waived by the Houston Rockets, making him a man without a team. He's skipping CPAC — set to take place Thursday through Sunday in Orlando, Florida — to "figure out this NBA stuff first," he told The Washington Post on Tuesday.
The CPAC invite alone culminated a bizarre character arc for him, given he was once an adamant critic of former President Donald Trump and a fervent supporter of President Joe Biden.
Freedom is of Turkish descent and has for years been an outspoken critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had a warm relationship with Trump during his time in office. Freedom has accused Erdogan's administration of harassing his family and issuing an international warrant for his arrest over his support for Turkish dissident Fethullah Gülen.
But Freedom has evolved politically in recent years.
Specifically, he’s ramped up his criticism of China, a frequent target of conservatives, while appearing to tamp down his criticism of Turkey. Last year, he wore shoes with artwork deriding James, an NBA icon and a frequent target of conservatives, for having a business relationship with China.
It’s worth considering whether he’s making political calculations that he thinks could favor him abroad.
Freedom, who is a Muslim, also appeared on racist Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show last year to denounce China, and went on to say Americans — like James — who criticize social injustice in America should “keep their mouths shut and stop criticizing the greatest nation in the world and they should focus on their freedoms, human rights and democracy.”
All the while, he’s racked up endorsements from conservatives such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as well as Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.
The precise roots of Freedom’s political turn toward conservatism remain unclear, but we know his family remains in Turkey, and we know Erdogan remains in power. At a minimum, it’s worth considering whether he’s making political calculations that he thinks could favor him abroad.
But absent an explanation, his invite to speak at CPAC — even though he’s now rejecting it — indicates he’s undergone a troubling political transformation.
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