Dharamshala, 7th December: Enes Kanter Freedom alleged that just moments before a game, two “gentlemen from the NBA” pleaded with him to take off his “Free Tibet” sneakers.
“I remember wearing those shoes right before the game… two gentlemen came from the NBA and said, ‘take those shoes off,” In a new interview with Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM show, Freedom remarked. “I’m like, ‘Excuse me?’ I was like, ‘I’m not taking the shoes off.”
Despite Kanter’s unwillingness to remove the footwear, the NBA insisted, according to Freedom. “They were like, ‘Listen, I’m begging you to take the shoes off,” Freedom explained.
Freedom claimed he inquired as to whether he was in violation of any NBA rules, to which the staffers responded that he was not. “There are 27 Amendments. My first amendment is freedom of speech and you’re taking that away from me. Go tell your boss, I don’t care if I get banned or fined, I’m not taking the shoes off,” Freedom told the men.
After keeping his position, Freedom, who played 0 minutes in that game, said he was allowed to wear the footwear. “At halftime, they came and apologized,” he added.
“I had a conversation with Adam Silver, I asked Adam, ‘I’ve been getting so much like blowback and so much pressure from the league, am I breaking any rules?” When Silver confirmed he wasn’t, Freedom stated, “Okay then, from now on I don’t want anyone to come from the league to tell me to take my shoes off.”