Former Celtics C Enes Freedom Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Veteran NBA center Enes Freedom was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a member of Norway's parliament, according to The Atlantic's George Packer.

Freedom has been an outspoken critic of China and its ongoing human rights abuses of the Uyghur people.

Along with labeling Chinese President Xi Jinping a "brutal dictator," he told CNN in October that China utilizes "modern day slavery" at factories that employ Uyghurs.

"Who makes your shoes in China? Do you even know?" Freedom said in the interview. "... There are so many forced labor factories in China."

The 29-year-old has called upon many of his peers in the NBA, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, to voice similar concerns with the Chinese government:

Prior to his stance against China, Freedom was a target of Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because of his support for Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan blamed Gulen for a failed coup attempt in 2016.

The Turkish government went so far as to issue a warrant for Freedom's arrest in May 2017. Turkey had also canceled his passport, which led to a harrowing journey from Indonesia to the United States in 2017.

While Freedom's social advocacy has brought him more attention than ever, the likelihood of him collecting a Nobel Peace Prize is slim. 

The nominating procedure allows for a large number of candidates, a list that is whittled down over a period of months. The Nobel Committee started with 318 nominees in 2020 and ultimately only selected the World Food Programme to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.