Ennes Kanter is holding nothing back.
The Boston Celtics big man caught up with CNN’s Pamela Brown on Sunday, to talk about human rights issues, and his opinions on Nike—a brand he claims is profiting off of “concentration camps.” After Brown asked him why he continues to criticize the brand despite them claiming that it produces goods ethically, Kanter hit back.
Kanter said that “every time you put your shoes on, you put that T-shirt on your back, there is so much blood and sweat and oppression on those items, so please, think twice before you buy any of their stuff.”
Later in the interview, after calling LeBron James someone who “cares about his PR more than anything,” Kanter shared that he thinks Michael Jordan is complicit in not taking stances on certain issues.
“Not many people are talking about Michael Jordan,” he said. “Michael Jordan hasn’t done anything, nothing, for the Black community in America besides just, you know, giving them money. I feel like we need to call out these athletes. At least LeBron James is going out there and being the voice of all those people who are oppressed in America.”
He continued, reiterating that he believes Jordan “has not done anything for the Black community because he cares too much about his shoe sales all over the world and America.”
Of course there have many examples of Jordan donating his time and money to his community, including recent donations to the NAACP and beyond.
As for James, he recently dismissed Kanter’s criticism without getting into details about the issue at hand. “I don’t give too many people my energy. He’s definitely not someone I would give my energy to,” he said. “He’s trying to use my name to create an opportunity for himself. I definitely won’t comment too much on that. He’s always had a word or two to say in my direction, and as a man, if you’ve got an issue with somebody, you really come up to him. He had his opportunity tonight. I saw him in the hallway, and he walked right by me.”
Something tells us Jordan’s going to take the same approach.
