Enes Kanter Freedom Blasts NBA Legend For 'Kissing Up' To Turkey’s Dictator
Enjoy the vacation, Shaq … hope the photos were worth the integrity.
Big Shaq is a legend on the court. Lately, he is taking a massive L in the arena of human rights.
NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal is under fire after a chummy photoshoot with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Tuesday.
The Hall of Famer became a Shaq-cessory to tyranny, another famous face from the Association willing to ignore a dictator’s rap sheet when money or clout are involved.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal. (Photo by Turkish Presidency / Mustafa Kamaci / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
The two met at the new Turkcell Basketball Development Center, smiling for cameras and swapping signed basketballs, all while brushing past Erdogan’s well-documented human rights record.
As much of the sports world stays silent when there is a check to be cashed, Enes Kanter Freedom is not playing along.
READ: The NBA Loves 'Social Justice' Until It's Time To Cash Checks From An Alleged Genocidal Regime
The former NBA center and outspoken human rights activist unloaded in a scathing post on X directed at the four-time champion.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal play a game at the Basketball Development Center in Istanbul, Turkiye on January 18, 2026. (Photo by Turkish Presidency / Mustafa Kamaci / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"Hey @SHAQ, let me teach you a lesson," Freedom posted on X.
READ:Clay Travis: Enes Kanter Is Risking It All For Freedom, Unlike The Grifters Of Past
"At what point do you choose morals over money? Whether you were paid for these photo ops or not is irrelevant. You willingly posed next to a man the entire world knows is a dictator."
Freedom knows the stakes better than almost anyone.
After publicly criticizing Erdogan’s regime, the Turkish government revoked his passport, branded him a terrorist, and placed a $500,000 bounty on his head.
He has described narrowly escaping kidnapping attempts by Turkish agents in Indonesia and Romania.
Kanter's father was imprisoned in Turkey as retaliation for his son’s activism.
Freedom also famously sacrificed his NBA career to call out human rights abuses in China. He wore "Free Tibet" sneakers on the court and soon found himself out of the league, while the rest of the NBA stayed quiet to protect sneaker deals.
Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., greets former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Now, he is watching a fellow NBA giant play nice with the man who turned him into a man without a country.
"This is not ignorance. This is not neutrality. This is complicity," Freedom added. "When you stand next to a tyrant, you help launder his crimes and give him legitimacy."
Shaq has spent years cultivating a brand as the World’s Biggest Kid, but Freedom warned that "millions of people, especially kids," are watching this display of soft diplomacy.
It is a tough look for someone who markets himself as a man of the people.
"You do not need this. You do not need his money. You do not need his approval," Freedom added. "What you are doing is beneath you. History is very clear about people who chose comfort and profit over courage. Choose wisely."
Shaq has been frequenting Turkey lately for his DJ Diesel sets and has yet to comment on the backlash.
Enjoy the vacation, Diesel … Hope the photos were worth the integrity.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela