NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom says he no longer plans to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Before he can commit to such an event, Freedom said he needs to take time to address the uncertainty surrounding his NBA career after his release from the Houston Rockets, according to Washington Post reporter David Weigel.
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“I need to figure out this NBA stuff first,” he told Weigel. “So I won’t be going to CPAC now.”
Last week, CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp said that Freedom was going to speak at CPAC, which is set to take place from Feb. 24 to Feb. 27 in Orlando, Florida.
Freedom, who became a U.S. citizen last year, gained national attention for his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses. The NBA has business interests in China and has drawn criticism from U.S. politicians and commentators for not speaking out on human rights concerns in the country. Freedom has previously said NBA officials pressured him over his anti-CCP activism. The NBA denied this to the Washington Examiner.
Freedom, an 11-year veteran of the NBA, played for the Boston Celtics as a center during this past season but was traded to the Houston Rockets last Thursday before being waived and left without a team. Notably, the Rockets faced controversy in 2019 when their general manager, Daryl Morey, criticized China’s handling of protests in Hong Kong. The NBA initially released a statement saying Morey’s comments did not represent the NBA and later clarified that the league supported his right to free speech.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to CPAC for comment but did not receive a response. CPAC did not release details about the focus of his speech. Recently retired NBC reporter Michele Tafoya said she was planning to interview Freedom during CPAC if his schedule permitted.
