China, and the NBA, is very toxic topic. 

Chamath Palihapitiya, a billionaire part-owner of the Golden State Warriors, went on a podcast and discussed the genocide of the Uyghur minority in China.  His comments were less than inspiring and certainly clarified how many people with power in the NBA feel about the matter. 

“Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs.”

He went on to say that the genocide is not something he is worried about, adding, “until we actually clean up our own house, the idea of morally virtue-signaling about someone else’s human rights record is deplorable.”

The biggest basketball star (literally and figuratively)  ever produced by China is former NBA legend, Yao Ming.

On Monday, he invited one of the fiercest critics of the human rights violations in China for a visit. 

Enes Kanter Freedom has urged athletes to boycott the Winter Olympics coming up in Beijing, and he’s repeatedly put LeBron James, Nike, and the NBA on blast as he brings awareness to what’s going on with the Uyghur Muslims and Tibetan minorities. 

Yao was a star player for the Rockets and is the current president of the China Basketball Association.  The 7’6” former center was asked about Freedom’s political stance during a press conference in Beijing Monday. 

“I’ve heard of him, but I can’t really judge him because I don’t know him. If there is an opportunity, I would like to invite him to visit China… Then he may have a more comprehensive understanding of us.”

Kanter was raised in Turkey and has closely followed China’s Uyghurs’ plight. 

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