(Minghui.org) “It’s not easy to speak out against the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]. You may lose your career, millions of dollars, and everything you’ve built. But this is bigger than money or business. Standing for your morals and principles is more important than any contract or endorsement,” said Enes Kanter Freedom, former US NBA basketball player.

So why did Enes choose to speak out for Falun Gong practitioners who are persecuted by the CCP?

At a rally held on July 23, 2026, to protest the CCP’s persecution, he explained why he began to pay attention to Falun Gong. To the over 2000 Falun Gong practitioners present, he said, “I don’t have a paper in front of me because I’m just going to speak from my heart.”

Former US NBA basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom spoke at the rally in Washington, DC, on July 23, 2026. (Minghui.org)

A Little’s Girl’s Call for Help

Enes said that three years ago, a little girl wearing a Falun Gong T-shirt approached him asking him for help: “She was three feet tall, a very young girl. She said, ‘Can you please help my family?’

“I was confused and asked, ‘What are you talking about?’

“That was the first time that I heard about the cause of Falun Dafa, the Falun Gong issue. From that day, the whole cause became dear to my heart.”

Enes said he kept thinking about how the CCP persecutes Falun Gong practitioners. He started to get in contact with more practitioners and their family members who've been persecuted to try understand what they went through.

Enes said this was the first time he'd ever attended a practitioners’ rally to protest the persecution. “That little girl is the reason I’m here today.”

Standing Up For a Moral Cause Is More Important Than the NBA

Enes was born in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 20, 1992. The Turkish professional basketball player is over 2.08 meters (6 feet 8 inches) tall. Throughout his NBA career, he played for five NBA teams: the Utah Jazz, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New York Knicks, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Boston Celtics.

Enes said he was pressured to stop speaking out for Chinese people’s human rights—the NBA asked him to stop talking about human rights issues.

He knew it was risky speaking out against the CCP, that it might affect his career, his earnings, and everything he'd built. 

“But I was like, you know what? This issue is bigger than myself, bigger than basketball, and bigger than the NBA. Standing up for your morals and principles is more important than any contract or endorsement.

“Because while we are comfortably playing basketball in this country, on the other side of the world, people are losing their loved ones, losing their lives, and losing their homes.”

He told the practitioners at the rally, “You guys have an ally as an NBA player. I know that I lost my career, I know that I lost millions of dollars, but you know what? It’s nothing compared to what you guys are going through.

“Before being an NBA player or an athlete, I’m a human being.

“No matter their background, religion or race, I need to stand up for them.

He said the ongoing persecution by the CCP is unacceptable.

“I hope that we wouldn’t have to meet again last year—next year, because I hope that this persecution and this pain will end as soon as possible. I’m honored to stand with you guys, and I’m going to do whatever I can to be your voice. You guys have an ally in the NBA.”

Hopes World Leaders Listen and Follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Enes Kanter Freedom (Minghui.org)

In his speech at the rally, Enes said that there are many lawmakers in Washington, DC, he hopes to pass them a message: “We don’t want to hear condemnation anymore. We want you to take concrete action against the Chinese Communist Party.

“Because while you are condemning all the atrocities happening over there, thousands of innocent people, maybe millions of innocent people, are losing their loved ones. So, we’ve got to do whatever we can to push our lawmakers to take concrete action against those evil regimes like the CCP.”

He said that in America and all over the world, there are many people who are still unaware of the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. He hopes that next year he can bring more athletes, actors, and activists to speak out for Falun Gong practitioners.

“Because this is a non-political movement. This is a human rights issue. So, we don’t care if you are from the right or from the left. Whoever you are, you can come here and stand with innocent people.”

Enes said he wants to tell the world leaders: “If all these world leaders just actually listen and follow Falun Gong practitioners’ message, we wouldn’t have any of these wars right now. It is all about compassion, it is all about truthfulness, and it is all about standing for what’s right.”

Their Stories Deserve To Be Heard, Their Courage Deserves To Be Honored

Enes posted a video recording of the rally on his social media after the event, including his conversation with Falun Gong practitioners. He wrote on his X account:

“27 years!
27 years of persecution.
27 years of torture.
27 years of families torn apart.
It has been 27 years since the Chinese Communist Party launched its brutal campaign against Falun Gong.

“Millions have been imprisoned, tortured, and persecuted simply because they chose to live by the values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

“Their stories deserve to be heard. Their courage deserves to be honored.

“The world must not stay silent.”