Former NBA big man Enes Freedom took a shot at Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James after the NBA’s all-time leading scorer crossed the 40,000 points mark for his career.
Freedom took a shot at James’ integrity after the accomplishment, and he then doubled down on the take with another post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
Integrity > 40,000 points
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) March 3, 2024
A lot of child slave sweat shop supporters in these comments…🍿 but please, do talk about social justice at your convenience…🥱
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) March 3, 2024
This isn’t the first time that Freedom has attacked James for his partnership with Nike and the allegations of the company using slave labor to make its sneakers.
He also called out James on social media following the Lakers star breaking the all-time scoring record against the Oklahoma City Thunder last season.
Freedom, who has not played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season when he was with the Boston Celtics, may be unfairly going at James, as there are many athletes across the NBA and other sports that wear Nike sneakers or cleats.
It’s possible that Freedom is simply attacking James because the Lakers superstar has a massive profile and is one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball.
Despite reaching the massive milestone on Saturday night, James and the Lakers came up short against the Denver Nuggets to fall to 33-29 on the season. Los Angeles holds the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, but it still has a solid cushion on the No. 11-seeded Utah Jazz, who are 5.5 games back of the Lakers.
James has given back to the community in many ways in his NBA career, most notably opening his I Promise School in Akron, Ohio to provide educational opportunities for disadvantaged kids in the community.
He also started the More Than A Vote initiative ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The goal with that initiative was to involve more people in the voting process to have their voices heard.
Even though James is one of the most prominent athletes sponsored by the Nike brand, it seems unfair for Freedom to pin the company’s alleged wrongdoings on the Lakers superstar, as he is not the person making decisions for how Nike makes its footwear.
A four-time NBA champion, James is focused on earning another title during his time in Los Angeles, especially after the Lakers made the Western Conference Finals last season.
This season, James is showing that he can produce at a high level despite his age (he turned 39 this season), averaging 25.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game.
