Enes Kanter Freedom is still making noise around basketball, but not for anything he did on the floor. On Curious Mike, the former NBA center opened up about the price he says he paid for speaking out, his ongoing fight with the WNBA, and the personal fallout that has followed him for years.
Kanter Freedom, who played 11 seasons in the NBA and built a reputation as a strong rebounder and scorer inside, said his activism cost him far more than just goodwill. He claimed he was told that continuing to speak out on human rights issues could cost him his spot in the league and somewhere between $40 million and $50 million. He also said his criticism of China played a role in the opportunities he lost.
That wasn’t the only consequence he brought up. Kanter Freedom also pointed to death threats and said his willingness to speak publicly has put his safety at risk.
The most heated part of the interview came when the conversation shifted to his decision to declare for the WNBA Draft. Kanter Freedom said the move was meant as a protest against what he views as unfair eligibility rules for transgender athletes in women’s basketball. He said the league needs clearer policies and made it clear he was not interested in letting the issue fade quietly.
Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., who hosted the podcast, pushed back hard. He challenged whether Kanter Freedom’s approach actually matched the message he said he wanted to send, especially when it came to confronting WNBA players directly.
That debate tied back to the Chicago Sky game where Kanter Freedom showed up wearing a shirt with his definition of a woman. The situation escalated into a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud, and arena security removed him. Kanter Freedom said he had planned to attend peacefully, while the incident sparked criticism over the way he chose to make his point.
On the podcast, Kanter Freedom said he had informed the team’s general manager that he would be there. He also said Cloud confronted him during the game.
Those are his accounts of what happened. Afterward, he said he planned to take legal action against the Chicago Sky and the arena over his removal.
Porter kept coming back to the same question: whether that kind of protest helps the cause Kanter Freedom says he supports. He gave Kanter Freedom room to explain himself, but he repeatedly pressed him on whether confronting players at a game was the right move.
The exchange made one thing clear: Kanter Freedom is not trying to fade into a post-playing career as a coach, analyst, or executive. Instead, he has put himself right in the middle of one of basketball’s most divisive debates, and he says he has no intention of stepping away from it.
In Other News...
Nets Backcourt Plan Hits Another Snag At The Worst Time
The Nets backcourt shuffle is getting harder to manage at a time when they can least afford it. Mikel Brown Jr. will miss the upcoming game against the New Orleans Pelicans because of illness, adding another obstacle for a team already trying to steady itself through a rough 2-8 start. Brown has been under a minutes restriction and has yet to start a game this season, so Brooklyn has been navigating his availability carefully while trying to keep some continuity in place.
Egor Demin is expected to give the group a boost by returning after a six-game absence, which at least gives the Nets another option as they try to find some rhythm. The timing matters against a Pelicans team that has dropped three straight, but Brooklyn still has to sort out how much it can lean on its guards and how quickly the rotation can settle. For a team searching for traction, every absence changes the equation a little more. [Read more 🡒]
Nets May Have A Frontcourt Option Worth Watching Closely
Grant Nelson keeps making himself harder to ignore. In Long Islands 142-106 win over the College Park Skyhawks, the forward turned in one of his best outings yet, scoring 18 points while pulling down a career-high 17 rebounds. He also flashed the kind of energy Brooklyn has been looking for in its frontcourt pipeline, running the floor well and showing he can affect the game around the rim.
The defensive side may be what gives him the most traction with the Nets. Nelson added two blocks and looked comfortable protecting the paint, which only adds to the momentum he has built with a strong preseason showing. For a Brooklyn team always monitoring its next internal option, he is starting to look like more than just a name in the system. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Suddenly Have An Early Minutes Puzzle Fans Should Watch
Egor Demins return gave Brooklyn a timely lift after a stretch of injury absences left the backcourt and wing rotation thinner than usual. The Nets had been without Nolan Traore and Mikel Brown Jr., and Demins presence helped steady things in a recent win while the team continued sorting through how to cover minutes with bodies coming and going.
The bigger question now is how Brooklyn handles the next wave of availability, especially with the roster still being managed carefully on the fly. Jordi Fernandez had to navigate the late news on Traore, and the way the Nets balance those unexpected absences against Demins re-entry into the mix could shape the early rotation picture in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]