Getty LeBron James, Enes Freedom
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James surpassed 40,000 career points for his NBA career. That mark is something no NBA player has done before, but former Boston Celtics center Enes Freedom wasn’t impressed.
After James surpassed 40,000 points, Freedom took to his X account to fire a shot at LeBron’s integrity.
Integrity > 40,000 points
Enes has gotten into fights with James during his time in the NBA. This included when the two got into it back when Freedom played for the New York Knicks in 2017.
Since coming to the NBA, Freedom has been an activist, calling out Turkish government among other critiques. Enes changed his last name to Freedom in 2021, when he officially became a United States citizen.
Freedom played for the Celtics for two separate seasons. He first played in Boston for the entirety of the 2019-20 season. After trading him the following offseason, the Celtics brought him back in 2021. Boston traded him midseason in 2022 to the Houston Rockets in a package deal that sent them Daniel Theis. After the Rockets waived him, Enes Freedom has yet to play another NBA minute.
Enes Freedom Has Criticized LeBron’s Integrity Before
Enes Freedom has criticized LeBron’s integrity before when the latter has hit previous career milestones. When James set the record for most points by an NBA player ever in 2023 – which was previously held by ex-Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Freedom took to his X account to fire a shot at his integrity.
In his tweet, Freedom relayed his belief that James has no morals or principles and that he shills for China.
38,388 Points
0 Morals
0 Values
0 Principles
0 Empathy
1 Bow Down to #China
Congratulations to @KingJames
Freedom followed up that tweet by calling out those who don’t like him for criticizing James. Freedom explained further why he takes issue with James.
“People get mad when I speak the truth because I’m the only athlete who actually speaks the truth. I don’t care about your endorsement deals or your dirty money. You can NOT buy me (Chinese Communist Party). Don’t expect me to respect you or your game when your shoes are literally made by SLAVE KID,” Freedom wrote via his X account.
People get mad when I speak the truth because I’m the only athlete who actually speaks the truth.
I don’t care about your endorsement deals or your dirty money.
You can NOT buy me #CCP!
Don’t expect me to respect you or your game when your shoes are literally made by SLAVE KIDS
James has also been an outspoken activist over the years. However, Freedom clearly does not believe that James is a good example as a public figure. Since the two of them are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, Freedom has not shied away from criticizing James.
Enes Freedom Criticized Celtics for Kemba Treatment
In April 2023, Enes Freedom took to his X account to criticize the Celtics for how they handled Kemba Walker. Freedom recalled an incident during the bubble in 2020 where he alleges the Celtics made Walker play despite dealing with an injury.
“I see Kemba in the hallway at the hotel, and this man can barely walk. Medical staff warned the Coaching staff, Danny Ainge (former president of basketball operations), Mike Zerren (Vice President of Basketball Operation) and said do NOT play this man. They decided to play him, we end up losing in the conference finals but for Kemba that was it. Following season Kemba could barely play and after the 2021 season he got traded to the (Thunder).
“(Walker) probably will never play basketball in the #NBA again, but the #Celtics organization could not care less.”
After stints with the Knicks and Mavericks, Walker has been out of the NBA since 2023.