TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Boston Celtics player, steadfast China critic, and leading human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Freedom’s nomination is due to his contribution to bringing global attention to Beijing’s ongoing human rights abuses in Xinjiang province and for standing up for the political freedoms of people in Hong Kong and Taiwan, per a Liberty Times report.

Freedom took to Twitter, linking to an in-depth feature article in the Atlantic about his struggle for human rights and sharing his feelings about the news.

“I’m honored and humbled to receive the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize,” he wrote. “Sometimes taking a stand is more important than your next paycheck.”

The future of Freedom’s career has been up in the air in recent weeks, after news the Celtics would trade him to the Houston Rockets, who later waived him, per a Fox News report. 

Last year, Taiwan‘s President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) thanked Freedom for standing up for Taiwan in a video posted on Twitter. In response, Freedom said he was honored to be acknowledged by President Tsai and called her a hero.

Freedom has also worn a variety of dissident footwear on the court, including one pair featuring Winnie the Pooh-style tanks rolling through Tiananmen Square. He has also called on Taiwanese American player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) to stand up for Taiwan and not take China’s money after news broke Lin had signed a lucrative contract to play for the Beijing Ducks in the 2021-2022 season.