LeBron James slammed for Brittney Griner comments, clarification by Enes Kanter Freedom

People did not take LeBron James' recent comments about Brittney Griner and the United States well.

NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was one of the most vocal in his criticism.

Freedom, an NBA free agent who played 35 games with the Boston Celtics last season, slammed the NBA superstar for comments he made questioning if Griner should return to the United State when she is freed from incarceration in Russia.

"You call it a step back, we call this a walk back," Freedom tweeted. "You are free to leave buddy or you can even volunteer for an exchange for her."

More: LeBron James says Brittney Griner should question returning to United States

Earlier this week, a trailer released for an upcoming episode of James' show, Uninterrupted, showed James commenting on Griner's situation in Russia.

"Now, how can she feel like America has her back?" James said in the trailer. "I would be feeling like, 'Do I even want to go back to America?'"

More: LeBron James clarifies Brittney Griner comments amid backlash: 'Wasn't knocking' America

The NBA star issued a clarification on Twitter for his comments, tweeting: "My comments on 'The Shop' regarding Brittney Griner wasn’t knocking our beautiful country. I was simply saying how she’s probably feeling emotionally along with so many other emotions, thoughts, etc inside that cage she’s been in for over 100+ days! Long story short #BringHerHome"

Kanter wasn't buying it.

His tweet slamming the Los Angeles Lakers star came in a reply to James' tweet attempting to clarify his comments on Griner and the United States.

"Some people literally have NO idea what is it like to live in a dictatorship," Kanter tweeted. "Keep taking your freedom for granted."

Freedom hasn't been the only person critical of James' comments on Griner.

Social media has been flooded with reactions to his take on the WNBA star's plight in Russia, with many slamming James' thoughts on America's role in her incarceration (Just check out the comments to this azcentral sports' Facebook post for an idea).

More: Adam Silver wonders what else NBA can do regarding Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia

In a recent column, Arizona Republic opinion writer Phil Boas also criticized  James' comments.

Boas wrote: "On Tuesday, James used all of his celebrity firepower to criticize the United States and, by implication, President Joe Biden, in an effort to try to free Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner. It was so ham-fisted that James was cleaning up his mess with a follow-up tweet the same day. It was so ill-advised he may have raised the price for Griner’s release."

More: LeBron James demands action from Joe Biden, Kamala Harris to bring Brittney Griner home

Not everyone, however, thought James' comments on Griner were out of place.

Republic columnist Greg Moore wrote: "Say what you want about LeBron’s comments on Brittney Griner, it’s America’s fault she’s over there. LeBron James, the newly minted billionaire, found himself in a similar trap that faces President Joe Biden: They both want Griner home from a Russian prison where she faces 10 years for vaping, but it looks like Vladimir Putin is in position to force the U.S. into a costly turnover."

He continued: "But we all need to realize we’re culpable in this. Brittney Griner earns about $230,000 a year playing for the Phoenix Mercury, where she’s one of the league’s biggest and most recognizable stars. James earns more than double that (about $520,000) per game – not to mention all of his endorsements and entrepreneurial moves that prompted Forbes to rank him as the first active NBA player to become a billionaire. …

"We don’t know exactly how many Americans are detained in Russia, but we know about Griner and Whelan. We don’t know what, if anything, Biden is willing to trade to get either or both of them back. But in Griner’s case, we know it’s our fault she’s over there.  It makes James’ comment prescient: Does America have her back?"

What do you think?

More: Brittney Griner appears in Russian court after guilty plea

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: LeBron James slammed for Brittney Griner comments, clarification