To say that both Michael Jordan and LeBron James have a strong legacy when it comes to sports is putting their impact on the sport lightly. They are both icons who helped propel basketball’s popularity and are household names to people who don’t even enjoy basketball. But Boston Celtic and humanitarian Enes Kanter has recently taken to social media to call the two megastars out on some business practices he finds questionable at best and morally bankrupt at its worst.
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Shoes Make the (Business) Man
Kanter’s initial post really got some attention, as he called out “King James” on his penchant for releasing branded shoes that retail at very high costs, while the shoes themselves are being produced by “slave labor.” He poked at LeBron, asking him if he researches how his shoes get made, or is he just focused on getting richer from them, without addressing the blood spilled in making them.
He even appeared on CNN Newsroom with Pamela Brown to speak more about how he felt, also using the opportunity to lay into Michael Jordan as well, who has been accused of similar behavior. Though he was very upset about James, Kanter minced no words when addressing Jordan specifically:
“Not many people are talking about Michael Jordan. He hasn’t done anything, nothing, for the Black community in America besides just, you know, giving them money.” He continued:
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. Michael Jordan has not done anything for the Black community because he cares too much about his shoe sales all over the world and America, and I feel like we need to call out these athletes and not be scared about who they are.
Mo Money, Mo Problems
While some people admire Jordan’s willingness to open his wallet, some see “throwing money at a problem” as an effortless way to try to fix a genuine social issue that needs discourse. Like tossing money around is an easy way to be involved without having to actually be involved. Kanter, on the other hand, does have the right to be speaking out on these issues as the man is truly a humanitarian who has been exiled from his own country of Turkey for trying to be the catalyst for social change.
LeBron James and Michael Jordan have not responded to these comments yet, and it remains to be seen if they will address it at all, essentially cementing Kanter’s stance on money being their main incentive.
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