Celtics Games Pulled off Internet in China After Enes Kanter's Tweets Backing Tibet

Boston Celtics games are no longer being streamed on Chinese internet after comments made by Enes Kanter in support of Tibet. 

Kanter posted a video on social media in which he called the basic rights and freedoms of Tibetan people "non-existent" under the "Chinese government's brutal rule."

He also shared an image of the custom "Free Tibet" shoes he would be wearing during games:

Per Raymond Zhong of the New York Times, TenCent, the Chinese company that streams NBA games, pulled Celtics games. 

Wang Wenbin, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said that Kanter's comments were "not worth refuting" because he is only "trying to get attention."

The People's Republic of China has ruled over Tibet since 1951. 

Kanter's comments mark the second time in two years that something a member of the NBA has said has led to changes in Chinese media coverage of the league.

Then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey ignited a firestorm in October 2019 when he tweeted, "Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong" in support of protests in the area at the time. 

Morey had to backtrack those comments amid the uproar that resulted in the Chinese Basketball Association, Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, the Rockets' sponsor in the country, to suspend their operations with the franchise. 

The Philadelphia 76ers, whom Morey currently works for, haven't had their games streamed by TenCent since the start of the 2020-21 season. 

Kanter has been an outspoken political advocate throughout his career. He has been very public in his criticism of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on several occasions.