LeBron James shrugs off Enes Kanter’s criticism

BOSTON — Enes Kanter passed Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James without exchanging a word during pregame warmups on Friday night, but the Boston Celtics center’s sneakers said more than enough.

One of Kanter’s sneakers featured James’ likeness being crowned by Chinese president Xi Jinping. The other read, “I am informed and educated on the situation,” a reference to James’ 2019 comments in the wake of then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of protests in Hong Kong.

“Money over morals for the ‘King,'” Kanter wrote Thursday on social media, along with a series of photos of his custom sneakers designed by Chinese artist Badiucao. “Sad and disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice. They really do ‘shut up and dribble’ when Big Boss [China] says so. Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research?”

Following Friday’s 130-108 loss to the Celtics, James said he had not spoken to Kanter.

“I don’t give too many people my energy,” said James, who made his return from an abdominal strain that cost him the previous eight games. “He’s definitely not someone I would give my energy to. He’s trying to use my name to create an opportunity for himself. I definitely won’t comment too much on that. … He’s always had a word or two to say in my direction, and as a man, if you’ve got an issue with somebody, you really come up to him. He had his opportunity tonight. I saw him in the hallway, and he walked right by me.”

Kanter’s sneakers are part of his season-long advocacy for human rights in China. He has worn different pairs every game in support of citizens of Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang seeking sovereignty from Chinese rule. The custom sneakers have featured a host of pointed messages: “Free China,” “Taiwan belongs to the…