Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom recently expressed his disapproval of American-born Olympic skier Irene Gu, who represents China, during an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
“I’m telling you, she’s a traitor,” he said. “She was born and raised in America, and yet she chose to compete for China, which is known for its severe human rights violations. She built her career in a free nation and then decided to represent a dictatorship.”
Gu hasn’t spoken out against the ongoing human rights issues in China, which include the repression of Uyghurs and other Muslim-majority groups in Xinjiang, nor the imprisonment of activist Jimmy Lai.
“She opted to play for a country that has a history of causing the deaths of millions of its citizens and is operating concentration camps,” Freedom commented, likening her silence on this matter to LeBron James’ reluctance to address China’s human rights record in 2019.
“It’s like a production,” he noted. “Whenever human rights concerns regarding China arise, the conversation just stops.”
Gu is notably the highest-paid Winter Olympian, earning around $23 million in 2025 through partnerships with both Chinese and Western companies, including the Bank of China. She has explained that her decision to represent China is in honor of her mother, who was born there.
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, Zhu Yi, another American-born figure skater now representing China, received $6.6 million in 2025 from the Beijing Sports Bureau for her contributions toward qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Together, Gu and Zhu reportedly earned nearly $14 million over the past three years.
Gu has faced criticism since her initial decision to represent China in 2019 and during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The scrutiny intensified after she won two silver medals and responded to a question about former President Donald Trump, who had criticized the current situation in the U.S.
“It’s unfortunate that the headlines surrounding the Olympics are so disconnected from the spirit of the games,” Gu remarked to reporters on Monday. “The essence of sport is unity… The human body and spirit, the competitive drive, the ability to push boundaries — isn’t that incredible?”
She expressed feeling “caught in the crossfire” of these controversies. “I’ve been there before, and I feel for the athletes,” Gu added. “I hope they can perform at their best.”
Vice President J.D. Vance also shared his thoughts on the matter during an interview on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha McCollum.”
“I’m not sure what her position should be. Ultimately, that decision belongs to the Olympic Committee,” he stated. “But if you grow up in America and benefit from its freedoms and education, you’d want to compete here. So, I’ll be supporting American athletes, many of whom identify strongly as American.”
Gu has won two silver medals in freestyle skiing events—slopestyle and big air—in Milan-Cortina, with one final event, the halfpipe, still remaining on Saturday where she has a chance to earn further accolades.
