Enes Kanter Freedom has issued a direct warning to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The former NBA player asserts that he holds secret audio recordings of league officials and team owners. Speaking in a recent sit-down on The Sage Steele Show, Freedom stated his intention to publicize the files, claiming they demonstrate the NBA’s corporate double standards.
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The centerpiece of Freedom’s claim concerns the Boston Celtics’ 2021 opening-night game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, during which he wore shoes displaying “Free Tibet.” According to Kanter, league officials pressured him prior to tip-off to remove the shoes.
“Two minutes before the game, two gentlemen from the NBA came to me and said, ‘Take your shoes off,'” Freedom told Steele. “I’m like, ‘Excuse me?’ They said, ‘Your shoes has been getting so much attention internationally. You got to take them off.’”
When he told them, “I’m not going to take them off. Even if I get fined, I’m not going to do it.” Those reps allegedly responded, “Buddy, we’re not talking about getting fined. We’re talking about getting banned.”
Freedom stated that by halftime of that game, Chinese media had pulled all Boston Celtics games from their national broadcasts. Following subsequent clashes over other statements about his footwear, Freedom sought out Adam Silver’s direct contact details. After securing the commissioner’s phone number from teammate Jaylen Brown, Kanter’s legal counsel advised him to document all official interactions.
“My lawyer said, ‘Record everything. Every conversation with Adam Silver, NBPA, every, with whoever, record it,'” Freedom revealed. “So, if anyone out there that says I’m lying, I have all the recordings. People think right now what I’m doing with WNBA is too much. Wait till what I’m going to do with NBA after this.”
Freedom went on to claim that he possesses audio of a team owner directly tying his roster spot to his political commentary.
“I had this one conversation with an owner, and he said, ‘If you say a word about China, you will be cut from the league and you’re not going to be able to play basketball.’ So, I have a little recording. So, if they ever come out and say I’m lying, I can literally release it right now.”
When Steele asked him what he’d do with the recordings, Kanter responded, “I’m just going to expose the hypocrisy.”
Enes Kanter Freedom teases action against NBA and WNBA
Enes Kanter Freedom’s warnings come at a time when his ongoing conflict with the WNBA has escalated to the NBA too.
He previously arrived at State Farm Arena in Atlanta to attend Game 3 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries. However, after he made his safety concerns known, the arena offered a private suite to watch the game and a refund for his courtside tickets.
In a video posted by Freedom and his friend from that night, the former NBA player refused to go to the suite. “I purchased tickets, right? Just because I purchased tickets, I would like to sit in my seat. That’s all I want,” he repeatedly tells the arena staff.
The security officer is heard saying, “You’re free to go to the city of Atlanta streets. That’s another private establishment over there. He’s free to go there. He just can’t be here.”
He was later escorted out of the arena. He’d hop on to another video and claim the NBA office contacted him and denied him entry. So far, the NBA or WNBA have not made such an official announcement.
He has been banned from Wintrust Arena after the confrontation with Chicago Sky’s Natasha Cloud. But there’s no league-wide ban.
Since then, he’s threatened legal action against the basketball leagues. Now he’s going beyond the WNBA’s trans-athlete debate and threatening to expose the NBA’s alleged corporate hypocrisy.
Despite Freedom’s public warnings, his statements leave several operational and legal questions unresolved. He did not outline when and how he’d release the alleged audio, or whether it would be through news outlets or submitted in potential legal filings.
The NBA has not issued an official response regarding Freedom’s latest interview claims.