Enes Kanter Freedom Sounds Alarm on China's 'War' Warning: 'Wake Up America'

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom issued a stark warning to the United States on Wednesday, reacting to China's fiery response to President Donald Trump’s decision to escalate tariffs. The Chinese government had declared it was ready to "fight till the end" in what’s shaping up to be a high-stakes economic showdown.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, signaling its readiness for any "type" of war with the U.S. This came after Trump bumped up tariffs on Chinese goods from 10% to 20%, citing Beijing’s failure to address the flow of fentanyl into the United States, a crisis that has devastated countless American communities.

In a post on social media platform X, Kanter Freedom, known for his outspoken criticism of the Chinese regime, sounded the alarm. "No embassy issues this type of statement without the capital's approval," he wrote. "Wake up America."

Kanter Freedom has been one of the rare voices in professional sports to take a stand against Chinese President Xi Jinping and the reported human rights abuses, including the detention camps holding Uyghur Muslims. He has also repeatedly called out the NBA for its business ties to China, pointing out the hypocrisy of profiting from a country accused of such atrocities.

China’s response to the tariffs was swift, slapping a 15% tariff on American agricultural products. "If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end," said Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. In a statement quoted by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Lin dismissed the fentanyl issue as a "flimsy excuse" for the tariff increase and warned the U.S. that "intimidation does not scare us."

Lin went further, accusing the U.S. of "bullying" tactics and declaring, "Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating."

The tariffs, which took effect on Tuesday, were issued via an executive order by President Trump. The order cited China’s failure to curb the flow of synthetic opioids like fentanyl into the U.S., a crisis the administration described as an "unusual and extraordinary threat."

It’s worth noting that this is not the only trade tension the U.S. is juggling. The Trump administration also imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, effective the same day.

Kanter Freedom, who played in the NBA from 2011 to 2022, has transitioned from professional basketball to activism. Averaging 11.2 points per game over 748 career appearances, his final stint was with the Boston Celtics before being traded to the Houston Rockets and subsequently waived. Since leaving the court, he has been a vocal critic of both China and Turkey, his country of birth.

As the U.S.-China standoff escalates, Kanter Freedom’s call to "wake up" serves as a stark reminder that the world of sports and geopolitics are far more intertwined than they might appear at first glance.