>> WE ARE CONCERNED AS YOU
HEARD FROM THE SECRETARY OVER
THE WEEKEND THAT CHINA IS
CONSIDERING PROVIDING LETHAL AID
TO SUPPORT RUSSIA IN ITS BLATANT
AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE.
HE PROVIDING LETHAL WEAPONS TO
RUSSIA FOR USE IN UKRAINE OR
ASSISTANCE WITH SANCTIONS WOULD
CAUSE CONSEQUENCE IN OUR
BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP.
MARIA: THAT WAS U.S. STATE
DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON, NED
PRICE YESTERDAY ON THE GROWING
RELATIONSHIP AND CHALLENGES
BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA FOR THE
UNITED STATES.
THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED NEARLY
$500 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL AID
FOR UKRAINE DURING HIS SURPRISE
VISIT TO KYIV ON MONDAY.
JOINING US TO WEIGH IN ON THE
CHINA THREAT IS FORMER NBA STAR,
ACTIVIST ENES KANTER FREEDOM.
IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU’VE BE BEEN SO COURAGEOUS IN
CALLING OUT WHAT YOU SEE AS THE
CHINA HE THREAT.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THAT TODAY?
WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN WHEN
IT COMES TO CHINA AND WHY DID
YOU PUT YOUR WHOLE CAREER ON THE
LINE TO MAKE SURE TO EDUCATE THE
WORLD ABOUT IT.
>> BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY NONE
OF MY COLLEAGUES WAS WILLING TO
GO OUT THERE AND SPEAK THE TRUTH
BECAUSE WHILE WE WERE TALKING
RIGHT NOW, THERE IS A GENOCIDE
HAPPENING, THERE ARE MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS
GETTING TORTURED AND RAPED EVERY
DAY AND WE NEVER WHEN I HAD A
CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF MY
TEAMMATES, I SAID JOIN ME, WE’LL
CREATE A MOVEMENT AND TALK ABOUT
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OVER
THERE.
NOT POLITICAL BUT HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS.
>>> THEY SAID WE HAVE SHOE
DEALS, ENDORSEMENT DEALS AND
JERSEY SALES.
I ASKED THEM, PUT YOURSELF IN
THEIR SHOES.
IF YOUR MOTHER, IF YOUR SISTER
OR YOUR DAUGHTER WAS IN THE
CONCENTRATION CAMPS GETTING
TORTURED AND RAPED EVERY DAY
WOULD YOU STILL PICK MONEY AND
BUSINESS OVER YOUR MORALS,
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES.
THEY USUALLY TURN AROUND AND
LEAVE THE ROOM.
MARIA: YOU ARE A GREAT MAN.
I’LL TELL YOU, ENES, THAT TOOK
SUCH OCCURSUCHCOURAGE.
IT’S NOT JUST THE CONCENTRATION
CAMPS, IT’S THE WAY CHINA HE
BEHAVES ON THE GLOBAL STAGE WITH
EVERYBODY ELSE.
ROOK AT WHAT THEY’RE DOING FOR
AMERICA, SURVEILLANCE BALLOON,
COVID-19 COVERUP AND THE NBA
ANNOUNCES A PARTNERSHIP WITH
CHINESE FIN TECH GIANT, ANT
GROUP.
THE FOUNDER OF ANT GROUP WAS
DISAPPEARED BY THE CCP A YEAR
AGO.
THE NBA WANTS TO WORK ON
PRODUCING VIDEO CONTENT WITH ANT
GROUP, MAKING DIGITAL
COLLECTIBLES, ENES.
>> IT’S NOT A SECRET THAT NBA
IS PRETTY MUCH IN CHINA’S LAP
TOP THE RIGHT NOW AND THEY’LL DO
WHATEVER THEY CAN RIGHT NOW
STRENGTHEN THEIR RELATIONSHIP
WITH CHINA AND CHINA’S
GOVERNMENT.
THEY ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ALL
THE SOCIAL JUSTICE PROBLEMS
THEY’RE HAPPENING IN AMERICA
BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT’S NOT GOING
TO HIT THEIR POCKET BUT AS SOON
AS THE THINKS THEY TALK ABOUT IS
GOING TO AFFECT THEIR MONEY AND
BUSINESS OR IF ANYONE TALKS
ABOUT IT, THEY’RE GOING TO TRY
TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO
SILENCE THEM.
IT’S UNACCEPTABLE.
>> YOU’RE A ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
YOU POINT OUT THE TREATMENT OF
THE UYGHURS.
YOU TALK ABOUT THE CRUSHING OF
THE LAST VESTIGES OF DEMOCRACY
IN HONG KONG.
YOU TALK ABOUT THE CONSTANT
ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE, THE THEFT OF
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, THE
INCREASING AGGRESSION IN THE
SOUTH PACIFIC.
ALL THESE VARIOUS ELEMENTS
THEY’RE ENGAGED IN.
THE NBA ESSENTIALLY ACTS JUST
LIKE EVERY OTHER MAJOR U.S.
CORPORATION.
THEY’RE ALL WILLING TO TURN AND
LOOK THE OTHER WAY BECAUSE
EVERYONE’S CHASING THAT DOLLAR
IN CHINA, THAT MASSIVE MARKET.
>> THE MORE I RESEARCH, THE MORE
REALIZE IT’S NOT ONLY NBA, YOU
SEE HOLLYWOOD, WALL STREET,
FARMLAND.
MARIA: ACADEMIA.
>> ACADEMIA, THERE YOU GO.
GETSGETTING WORSE AND WORSE EVER
DAY.
>> CHINA DOESN’T DO IT JUST IN
THE UNITED STATES, THEY DO IT
AROUND THE WORLD IN COUNTRIES
THEY OF OPERATE IN, THEY TARGET
ELITE FIGURES IN ACDEM ACADEMIA,
POLITICS, SCIENCE, THE ARTS.
THE NBAS YOU NOTED IS COMPLETELY
IN THEIR POCKET.
IT’S NOT JUST THEM.
YOU SEE HOLLYWOOD WHICH IS
COMPLETELY BOWING TO THE WHIMS
OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY
AND GOVERNMENT WITH HUNTER BIDEN
AND WHY WAS JOE BIDEN’S RESPONSE
TO THE BALLOON SO TEPID.
>> GOOD USE OF THE WORD TEN TEPI
>> THANK YOU.
>> HAS THERE BEEN A MOMENT
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN ENGAGED IN
THIS EFFORT TO RAISE AWARENESS,
HAS THERE BEEN A MOMENT WHERE
YOU STEPPED BACK AND THOUGHT YOU
KNOW, MAYBE I SHOULDN’T HAVE
DONE THIS, MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE
FOCUSED ON MY CAREER?
>> YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK
ME THIS QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, YOU LOST YOUR CAREER
AND STUFF.
PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS
IS BIGGER THAN MYSELF, THIS IS
BIGGER THAN NBA, BIG R THAN
BASKETBALL.
WHEN I SIT DOWN AND HAVE A
QUESTION WITH HONG KONGERS,
TAIWAN EASE, UYGHURS AND WHEN I
HEAR WHAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH,
I WAS LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS
IS JUST BIGGER THAN BASKETBALL.
I CANNOT JUST STAY SILENT.
MARIA: THAT’S WHY YOU POSTED A
TWEET TAKING A JAB AT LEBRON.
YOU’RE TWEETING AND LEBRON JAMES
OVER HIS NEW $1 BILLION
PARTNERSHIP WITH NIKE.
NIKE HASN’T SAID ANYTHING ABOUT
THE UYGHUR SITUATION.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS BILLION
DOLLAR DEAL AND WHAT YOU PUT ON
THIS TWEET.
ZERO MORALS, ZERO VALUES, ZERO
PRINCIPLE, ZERO EMPATHY, ONE BOW
DOWN TO CHINA, CONGRATULATIONS
KING JAMES.
>> I PUT THIS TWEET OUT THERE
WHEN HE PUT THE MOST SCORING
CHAMPION.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT NIKE FIRST
BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT NIKE,
IN AMERICA THEY STAND WITH BLACK
LIVES MATTER, NO ASIAN HATE, LA
THE AT THIS KNOW COMMUNITY, WHEN
IT COMES TO CHINA EVERYONE KNOWS
ABOUT THE SLAVE LABOR AND SWEAT
SHOTS.
LEBRON BECAME A BILLIONAIRE A
COUPLE MONTHS AGO.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?
GO OUT THERE AND TALK ABOUT --
HE HAS THREE KIDS.
THINK ABOUT -- PUT YOUR KIDS IN
THEIR SHOES.
YOU KNOW.
THEY’RE MAKING -- THERE’S SO
MUCH OPPRESSION, SO MUCH BLOOD
AND SWEAT BEHIND THE SHOES
YOU’VE BEEN WEARING EVERY TIME
YOU PLAY BASKETBALL.
MARIA: WHAT A GREAT POINT.
>> IT’S A FANTASTIC POINT.
AND I’M WONDERING, LEBRON HOLDS
HIMSELF OUT AS AN ACTIVIST
HIMSELF.
HE DOES HIS PODCASTS AND THINGS
LIKE THAT AND HE ACTS LIKE HE IS
AN ACTIVIST AND HE’S PROBABLY --
YOU KNOW, HE’S VEERING OUTSIDE
OF HIS LANE.
HOW CAN YOU HOLD YOURSELF OUT
THERE AS AN ACTIVIST WHEN YOU
ARE TURNING A BLIND EYE TO THE
GENOCIDE AND THE SLAVERY IN
CHINA?
WHY IS IT OKAY M.
MARIA: IS IT ALL BS?
>> WHY IS IT OKAY FOR SLAVERY IN
CHINA TO BE A THING.
>> THE THING HE TALKS ABOUT IN
WON’T AFFECT HIS MONEY OR
BUSINESS, HIS JERSEY SALES OR
SHOE SHALES.
SALES.
I WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH
ONE OF HIS TEAMMATES, HE SAID
WHATEVER HE’S DOING, HE DOESN’T
CARE ABOUT.
HE WANTS HIS OWN PR.
>> I BELIEVE THAT.
MARIA: DO YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST
IN RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.
>> I ACTUALLY DO.
THAT WOULD BE VERY INTERESTING.
MARIA: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO
DO?
YOU’D LIKE TO BE A M MEMBER OF
CONGRESS?
>> I WOULD ACTUALLY WHEN THE
TIME IS RIGHT.
SHOUT OUT TO WHOEVER IS OUT
THERE LISTENING NOW.
OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE TO.
>> HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT
TAKING ON THE JOB OF SECRETARY
OF TRANSPORTATION.
>> I YOU LIKE THAT.
I SAW THE VIDEO YESTERDAY.
MARIA: ARE YOU MAKING PLANS TO
RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.
>> YES, I DO, YEAH.
MARIA: ARE YOU RAISING MONEY?
>> NOT YET.
I HAVEN’T STARTED YET.
I STARTED TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS
WITH SOME MY FRIENDS, MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.
MARIA: TERRIFIC.
ENES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
BREAKING THE FUSE ON THIS
PROGRAM.
GREAT TO SEE YOU, SIRS.