Enes Kanter Freedom alleges NBA players privately support conservative causes while fearing cancellation

Enes Kanter Freedom has disclosed that several former NBA teammates privately support conservative causes and President Donald Trump but conceal those views to avoid social backlash. The former Boston Celtics center made these claims while detailing his ongoing dispute with the WNBA over its gender eligibility policy. Freedom stated that players told him directly that they could not help him publicly because they feared being "canceled" and hated throughout the year if their conservative affiliations became known. He noted that in NBA circles, watching Fox News is treated as a stigma that can lead to social ostracization, yet he claimed many players hold those views in private.

Freedom also shared a specific account involving his former Celtics teammate Dennis Schröder, who allegedly questioned LeBron James' motives as an activist. According to Freedom, Schröder told him, "Whatever is LeBron doing is for LeBron," leading Freedom to lose respect for James' public advocacy. Freedom criticized James' conduct during the national anthem before Philadelphia's season opener against the Knicks, which prompted criticism from President Trump. Freedom agreed with the president's assessment, calling James the "dictator of the NBA" and suggesting the league would be less "woke" after James retires.

The comments arrive one day after a public confrontation at State Farm Arena in Atlanta during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. The WNBA had directed Freedom to a private luxury suite instead of the courtside seat he purchased, citing security concerns. The change in arrangement led to an encounter with police at the arena entrance, resulting in Freedom leaving the venue. He maintained that his shirt, which read "What is a woman?", needed to be visible from courtside to support his campaign. The Atlanta Dream and State Farm Arena stated the suite arrangement was intended to protect him and other guests due to safety concerns he had raised.

Freedom rejected suggestions that he should have accepted the seating change, describing the suite as a "prison box" and stating he would not bow down to anyone trying to silence him. He acknowledged that officers treated him courteously during the incident but maintained that he handled the situation perfectly. He also pushed back against accusations that his campaign is a publicity stunt, citing death threats he has received, including references to the shooting of Charlie Kirk.

Freedom stated his campaign would end if the WNBA explicitly restricted eligibility to biological females in its collective bargaining agreement. The league has already declared him and former NBA player Royce White ineligible, while its current agreement limits participation to women without specifying sex assigned at birth. Freedom said he is finished initiating discussions with league officials but remains open to diplomacy if they reach out. He intends to attend the next draft and continue preparing for it, claiming that if he is not drafted and rules do not change, other male professional players may join his effort.