It does't appear as if Enes Freedom's teammates are as bothered by LeBron James as the veteran big man.
LeBron engaged in some playful trash talk with players on the Celtics' bench Tuesday during the Lakers' 117-102 win at Staples Center, and Freedom just stared straight ahead. The verbal jousting started after LeBron was whistled for a shooting foul on Dennis Schroder in the third quarter.
James started engaging with Grant Williams while he was lining up for the free throws. Freedom, who was sitting on Williams' right, didn't appear to say anything at all.
Of course, Freedom's gripes with James couldn't possibly be addressed in the middle of an NBA game. The Celtics' center has ripped James for his lucrative partnership with Nike and silence on China's human rights abuses.
But still, Freedom has spent the last several weeks ripping LeBron on Fox News, where he is persona non grata. With that in mind, it wasn't the best look to avoid eye contact when given the chance to see LeBron face-to-face.
Freedom, who changed his name last week after becoming a U.S. citizen, said recently he would be happy to chat with LeBron and inform him about the issues at hand. "I'm sure it's going to be a very uncomfortable conversation for him," Freedom told reporters. "I don't know if he's educated enough, but I'm here to educate him, and I'm here to help him."
Earlier this season, Freedom wore sneakers featuring the phrase "money over morals" in a direct shot at LeBron's refusal to defend Daryl Morey when the NBA exec angered the Chinese government for tweeting his support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Freedom says James brushed past him following the Celtics' win over the Lakers last month at the Garden, though James contends Freedom is the one who dodged him.
The Celtics and Lakers are done with their season series, so the next time they could meet is in the NBA Finals. The odds of that are as good as LeBron and Freedom actually sitting down and talking.
