Boston Celtics games removed in China post Enes Kanter's statement of 'Free Tibet'

Boston Celtics star Enes Kanter missed the opening night game against the New York Knicks which the Celtics lost 134-138 in 2nd overtime. However, off the court, Enes Kanter has not only landed himself in trouble but even the NBA and Boston Celtics team, following his comment over the Tibet independence. Enes Kanter on Wednesday shared a video on his Instagram handle where he slammed Chinese President Xi Jinping which has reignited tensions between Beijing and the US basketball league. 

Boston Celtics China games removed after Enes Kanter Tibet comment 

Enes Kanter's Tibet comment led to the Boston Celtics China games being pulled off by Chinese media. Enes Kanter called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” and said that he was there to speak about the situation in Tibet. In the video, Ernes Carter said "I'm here to add my voice and speak out about what is happening in Tibet. Under the Chinese government's brutal rule, Tibetan people's basic rights and freedoms are nonexistent." In the post, the NBA star can also be seen wearing a shirt with the image of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader. Kanter was also wearing shoes with the words “Free Tibet” during Wednesday night’s game against New York Knicks.

The relation between the NBA league and China have been damaged since October 2019, when then-Houston general manager Daryl Morey used a slogan used by the protesters in Hong Kong, just as the league was preparing to stage games in Shanghai and Shenzhen between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin while commenting on Enes Kanter Tibet posts said “The player you mentioned was clout-chasing, trying to get attention with Tibet-related issues. His wrong remarks are not worth refuting."

Tencent stops broadcasting Boston Celtics games in China 

According to ESPN report, The New York Times reported that Boston Celtics China games were pulled from Tencent, the Chinese company that streams NBA games (ESPN and Tencent have a content-sharing partnership, and Tencent is a rights partner of the NBA). Previous replays were no longer available, and upcoming games are not set to be shown. The NBA estimated that the strained relationship with the Chinese and lost broadcast rights meant the league missed out on about $400 million in revenue during the 2019-20 season alone. 

This is not the first time that Enes Kanter has got himself involved in a political comment. He has been an outspoken critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government. Kanter has said his passport was revoked by the Turkish government in 2017.

(With AP inputs)