"Should I run for President?": Former Boston Celtics player Enes Freedom plans to run for presidency, compares it to NBA contracts

Enes Freedom, formerly known as Enes Kanter, has not played in the NBA since the 2021-2022 season. While he has not officially announced his retirement, the former Boston Celtic appears ready to embark on a new career. Freedom took to Twitter on Monday morning to share footage of himself passing out articles of clothing from his Jeep, captioning the post:

"Freedom is truly conquering the world! Forget about the #NBA contracts and endorsement deals, this is a type of love I wouldn’t give up for the world. Thank you America for giving me the warmest welcome in every city and state I visit. Should I run for President? [American Flag]😅"

Check out Enes Freedom's tweet below:

While Freedom may have plans on a political career, he can rule out running for President. United States constitutional law lists three requirements to run for President. Candidates must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old and resided in the United States for at least 14 years.

Enes Freedom does not meet any of the requirements as he is a naturalized citizen after gaining citizenship in 2021. He is also just 31 years old and has only resided in the United States since late-2009. While he is not eligible to run for President, and never will be, Freedom can run for political office if he desires.

Enes Freedom claims that he was blacklisted from the NBA

Enes Freedom had an 11-year career in the NBA. While he has not officially announced his retirement, the third overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft has alleged that he was blacklisted from the league.

Freedom has made several claims that his release from the Houston Rockets following a midseason trade from the Boston Celtics was due to his political views. He has been openly critical of the Chinese government and suggested that his stance led to his inability to land an NBA contract. Freedom has threatened to sue the NBA.

While he was a strong offensive player at his peak, averaging 15.5 points per game in 2014-2015, Freedom was hardly that player by the end of his tenure in the NBA. He averaged just 3.7 points per game in his final season in the league.

Combined with his poor defense, which had been the case for much of his career, it is easy to see why teams did not sign Freedom. Furthermore, the Rockets, who he believes waived him for his political stances, were rebuilding at the time and had no use for a veteran center.