'Stop The Modern Day Slavery': NBA's Enes Kanter Calls Out Nike, LeBron And More Over China 'Hypocrisy'

An NBA player that has been vocal about political events in the past and has recently stepped up his comments about a publicly-traded company that is a major sponsor of the league he plays in.

What Happened: Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is criticizing Nike Inc NKE for their use of alleged slave labor to make shoes and their treatment of people in China.

“Your company says you are making a positive impact in our communities,” Kanter said in a video posted to his Twitter.

Kanter recognized that Nike supports Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate and stands with the LGBTQ and Latino communities in the U.S., “but when it comes to China, Nike remains silent.”

Kanter criticized the company’s silence in China and its use of slave labor: “Who makes your shoes in China? Do You even know?”

Kanter said Nike is among the companies that benefit from forced labor camps with long working hours and poor working conditions in China. He said Nike hasn't been able to prove it doesn't use slave labor and won’t cut ties with China.

“Don’t forget, every time you put those shoes on your feet, or put that t-shirt on your back, there are so many tears and so much oppression and so much blood behind it all.”

Related Link: Nike Has Long Runway Growth With Focus On Direct Sales, Margin Growth: Analyst Says 

Why It’s Important: Kanter has voiced his position against Nike in recent weeks and has a call out to the company and several prominent athletes.

“Nike likes to say Just Do It, well what are you doing about the slave labor that makes your shoes?” Kanter asks.

Kanter has an open invitation to buy plane tickets and fly Nike co-founder Phil Knight, LeBron James and Michael Jordan to China.

“Stop the hypocrisy," Kanter says.

Last week, Kanter voiced support for Tibet and has called China’s leader Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator.” China erased all mentions of the Celtics on its media sites.

Dear @Nike

Stop the modern day SLAVERY, now!!!#HypocriteNike#EndUyghurForcedLabor pic.twitter.com/tvX2k3wE4X

— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) October 25, 2021

Kanter has worn shoes that share his opinions with “Free Tibet” mentioned earlier this season and the newest shoes that draw attention to slave labor.

Nike has been rumored to have lobbied against a 2020 bill that would ban imported goods made by forced labor.

The NBA has had problems with people speaking out against China in the past.

A tweet showing support for protests in Hong Kong by former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey led to a battle between the NBA and China. The tweet led to sponsors and partners of the NBA in China pulling out of their relationship. Tencent Holdings TCEHY stopped streaming NBA games.

James called the tweet from Morey “misinformed.”

The NBA will need to come up with some sort of statement or figure out a way to address the concerns of Kanter or it could find itself at odds with one of its largest fan bases.

NKE Price Action: Nike shares were flat Tuesday, closing at $163.79.