BOSTON -- Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom said he would welcome the opportunity to speak to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James -- who he has criticized, along with Nike, for hypocrisy due to not speaking out about human rights violations in China -- and "educate" him on the subject.

"Sure, I'd love to sit down and talk to him," Freedom said Tuesday after the Celtics' practice. "I'm sure it's going to be a very uncomfortable conversation for him. I don't know if he's gonna want that. I'll make that really comfortable for him.

"I don't know if he's educated enough, but I'm here to educate him and I'm here to help him, because it's not about money. It's about morals, principles and values. It's about what you stand for. There are way bigger things than money. If LeBron stopped making money now, his grandkids and grandkids and grandkids can have the best life ever.

"I feel like it's definitely time for athletes to stand up for the things they believe in ... not just in America ... but all over the world."

Freedom, who became a U.S. Citizen on Monday and changed his last name from "Kanter" to "Freedom" to celebrate the occasion, has repeatedly spoken out against both James and Nike for their failure, in his eyes, to call out human rights abuses against the ethnic Uyghur population in China's Xinjiang province. During his interview with reporters Tuesday, he wore a shirt that read "Freedom for Uyghur."

After the Celtics beat the Lakers at TD Garden earlier this month, James was asked about Freedom's comments about him. James said Freedom is "not someone I will give my energy to," adding that Freedom had an opportunity to approach him after the game but instead walked by him in the hallway.

When asked about that interaction Tuesday, Freedom -- whose Celtics play the Lakers next Tuesday in Los Angeles -- presented his side of the story.

"I was actually on the court and after I left the court, he was behind me. ... Then I stopped to take a picture with a kid, and he was the one who walked right past me," Freedom explained.

Freedom on Tuesday reiterated his feeling that Nike is "the biggest hypocrite company out there," noting, "They stand for Black Lives Matter in America -- amazing. They stand for the Latino community. No Asian hate. They stand with the LGBTQ community. But when it comes to some of the countries out there, like China, they remain silent. Obviously they are using these players to become the face, like Christiano Ronaldo for soccer, LeBron for basketball, and some other athletes. But they're becoming puppets.

"I feel like we need to be careful of what we are wearing, because every time you put those items on your feet or back, there's so much blood or sweat or oppression on those items."

Freedom also renewed his criticism of Michael Jordan for remaining silent on these issues, and said other players have encouraged him to bring Jordan into the conversation as well.

"The thing is, whenever I talk about LeBron, whenever I talk about Michael Jordan, the Black athletes in the league are the ones reaching out to me and saying, 'Listen, talk about this person,'" Freedom said. "Not many people know this, but they are the ones giving me talking points. When Black Lives Matter protests happened, I was the third one in the whole league that went out there and protested. I was actually wearing my jersey, I wanted them to know that I am with them.

"But when these issues are happening, some of the other players out there in the league are scared to say anything against LeBron or Jordan ... but they are reaching out to me and giving me talking points and say, 'Listen, you talk about LeBron. It's amazing -- but he's at least standing up for things in America. Why don't you say anything about Michael Jordan? The only thing he is doing is just giving money, but he is remaining silent. He's scared to speak up.'"

This season Freedom has been wearing shoes depicting various people and places he has spoken out against, including Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping, Nike and James. He has also used his shoes to promote causes like freedom for Tibet and Taiwan.

He said the idea for the shoe campaign was his own, and that it came from his childhood growing up in Turkey. When he would watch NBA games on television, the first thing he'd notice is what shoes the star players were wearing, and he decided that would be a way to raise awareness and break through to young people watching at home.

"The important thing is to ... inspire the young generation," Freedom said. "And I think that was the best way to do it. And I looked at the rule books, and there was nothing against it."

To that end, Freedom said he had a conversation with Adam Silver about his shoes and told the NBA commissioner he would comply with any league rules.

"I was like, 'If there's any rules that I'm breaking or I'm violating, let me know. I'll be the first one to follow,'" Freedom recounted. "And he said, 'No, you're not violating any rules.' And I was like, 'Adam, you guys are the ones that are telling us and encouraging players to stand up for what's right, not just the problems in America, but all over the world. So you guys are the ones that encouraged me to talk about all the violations that are happening all over the world, right?' And he was like, 'Listen, you have the freedom to say whatever you want.' And I was like, 'I appreciate that.'"

Freedom was speaking to the media for the first time in several weeks. Through the first 13 games of the season, he played less than 10 minutes combined in two brief appearances as he sat third in Boston's center rotation behind Robert Williams and Al Horford. On Nov. 14, he posted to Instagram a flip book with the caption "Keep limiting me on the court, I will expose you off the court." The next day, he entered the game in the second half after Williams exited with knee soreness, and has played in every game since.

In the wake of his social media post, Freedom said he spoke to Celtics coach Ime Udoka about his playing time, and Udoka assured him it had nothing to do with his political beliefs.

Freedom also spoke Tuesday about his appearance on Tucker Carlson's show Monday night, during which he said Americans "should keep their mouth shut and stop criticizing the greatest nation in the world and they should focus on, you know, their freedoms and their human rights and their democracy."

When asked about those comments Tuesday, Freedom said he is an apolitical person and is instead focused on human rights.

"There is a thin but huge line between human rights and politics. The reason I'm so involved with the politicians, the senators or Congressmen, people in state department, White House, or whatever -- the reason is because I'm trying to help people. We are trying to create bills, we are trying to find ways to just help those people -- not just in Turkey, but all over the world -- trying to find a way to put some sanctions on some of the countries for violating some human rights, try to boycott the Olympics, trying to free other political prisoners."

He continued, "Obviously, we are having our problems here, but people for sure should definitely feel blessed to be in this situation."

Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy was placed in the COVID-19 protocol ahead of Tuesday night's game against the visiting Detroit Red Wings.

The team did not say whether Cassidy tested positive or not, so it's not yet clear how much time he will miss.

The 56-year-old Cassidy is in his sixth season coaching the Bruins. He took them to the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the St. Louis Blues. This season, the Bruins are 11-7-0 and fifth in the Atlantic Division.

The Bruins organization isn't just at a loss for the head coach. General manager Don Sweeney said the team is unable to call up players from the AHL's Providence Bruins because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the team.

The New Jersey Devils are getting a big boost with the return of center Jack Hughes to the lineup Tuesday night against the Sharks.

Hughes has been out since Oct. 19 after separating his shoulder. He had played only two games but had two goals and an assist.

"He's a very important piece on our team -- his puck possession, his playmaking ability, the speed he adds to the team," coach Lindy Ruff said. "You know, we've missed that part. Just great to have him back. He's excited. We're all excited to have him back."

The Devils are 9-6-4 this season, good for sixth in the Metropolitan Division. Hopes were high entering the season after the team signed premier defensive free agent Dougie Hamilton to go with the young core.

Hughes was expected to take the next step in his third season after being a No. 1 overall draft pick. He had 21 points as an 18-year-old rookie and 31 points last season.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has no interest in taking another head-coaching job in college and remains committed to rebuilding the Jaguars, per a league source familiar with Meyer's thinking.

The source said the 57-year-old coach does not want to reenter the college ranks at this point in his life. College football has changed significantly with the implementation of name, image, likeness rules, which were not in place when Meyer was coaching his final season at Ohio State (2018).

Meyer's name has been linked to the opening at Notre Dame, thanks in large part to the fact that he previously called that his "dream job" and was courted by Notre Dame in 2005 along with Florida.

The Notre Dame job came open Monday after LSU hired Brian Kelly, who led the Fighting Irish to a 113-40 record over the past 11 seasons.

It's not the first time this season that Meyer has been linked to an open college job. One day after USC fired Clay Helton in September, Meyer said there was "no chance" that he'd leave the NFL to become the Trojans' head coach. The school filled that vacancy on Monday by hiring Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley.

Meyer also had said in early September that he didn't miss the rigors of recruiting.

Meyer is in his first season with the Jaguars (2-9), who have lost three games in a row heading into Sunday's game at the Los Angeles Rams (7-4). The Jaguars, despite drafting quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall, have struggled on offense all season. Injuries at receiver and tight end have hurt Lawrence's development, and the Jaguars are averaging 15.7 points, which is worse than every other NFL team except the Houston Texans (14.9).

Meyer won three national championships and had a 187-32 college coaching record during stints at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He won two of those titles (2006, 2008) with the Gators, whom he led to a 65-15 record in six seasons. He also led the Buckeyes to the 2014 national title and had an 83-9 record in seven seasons in Columbus, Ohio.

Great Britain made the perfect start to their Davis Cup quarter-final as Dan Evans thrashed Germany's Peter Gojowczyk in the opening rubber.

The British number two continued to dominate and sealed a 6-2 6-1 win.

His victory means Cameron Norrie will secure Britain's spot in the last four if he beats Jan-Lennard Struff.

Britain, without the resting Andy Murray, are aiming to reach the semi-finals at the 18-team Davis Cup Finals for the second successive edition.

At the inaugural event in 2019, Britain beat Germany in the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Spain in the self-styled 'World Cup of Tennis'.

If British number one Norrie loses to Struff, who is ranked 39 places below him at 51st in the world, the tie will go down to a deciding doubles match in the best-of-three rubbers format.

Britain's Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski, who are ranked third and 20th in the world respectively, are set to face German pair Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.

Two-time French Open champion Krawietz has played alongside Puetz in the absence of injured regular partner Andreas Mies, with the pair winning both their matches in the Davis Cup Finals.

Whoever wins this tie - which is being played behind closed doors in the Austrian city because of coronavirus restrictions - will face either the Russian Tennis Federation or Sweden, who play in the last quarter-final on Thursday.

That semi-final would take place in Madrid on Saturday, with Sunday's final also in the Spanish capital.

Evans triumphs after 'some of best tennis this year'

There is still a long way for Britain to go against Germany in what has long been an unpredictable competition.

But Evans, who won and lost in his two group matches against France and the Czech Republic, has set the platform for the rest of the British team.

"That was some of the best tennis I played all year. I didn't feel good this morning so it has been nice to come and get out a win for the team," he said.

The world number 25 conceded just six points on serve in an almost flawless opening set, while a nervy Gojowczyk - who was handed his first Davis Cup appearance in seven years ahead of Dominik Koepfer - started with four double faults in his first two service games and ended up with 14 unforced errors in the first set.

After settling somewhat in the latter part of the opener, the tension reappeared for Gojowczyk in the first game of the second set. Another double fault handed over a break to Evans.

Evans continued to play at a high level to which Gojowczyk had no answer, dominating in all areas to seal victory in 55 minutes when the German ended with another double fault.

Leicester Tigers hooker Nic Dolly will not make the mistake of taking his place for granted despite making his England debut earlier this month.

Tigers return to Premiership action on Sunday with a home game against reigning champions Harlequins.

"They're a brilliant side, but for me the main thing first of all is to get selected," he told BBC Radio Leicester.

"I can worry about what I can do to impact the team, but right now it's just about training hard, hopefully get selected and then put my best foot forward on the field."

Dolly has only started four of the seven matches he has appeared in so far this season, with head coach Steve Borthwick making full use of his squad.

But his try tally is only exceeded by Max Malins of Saracens, who has eight, and matched by fellow hooker, London Irish's Agustin Creevy.

Dolly's rise to international honours has been meteoric this season, having joined Leicester from Championship club Coventry in March after being released by Sale in 2020.

"The brilliant thing here is I have world-class front rowers with me every week and going into England, it was nice to see some other world-class front rowers, pick their brains and see if they had any different theories or tricks of the trade," he said.

"I couldn't have predicted it (international call-up) to be this short. I always had aspirations, even when I got let go from Sale, that I was going to get back in the Premiership and to play at the highest level, that being England, but you couldn't write it any faster.

"For me, it's just about trying to work hard and good things come when you work hard."

NASSAU, Bahamas – Tiger Woods said he was pleased with his recovery from the single-vehicle car crash that left him hospitalized for weeks, but he was clear there is no timeline for his return to competition.

“I'll put it to you this way, as far as playing at the Tour level, I don't know when that's going to happen,” Woods said Tuesday at the Hero World Challenge. “Now, I'll play a round here or there, a little hit and giggle, I can do something like that.”

One such “hit and giggle” event that could be on Woods’ radar is the PNC Championship, which will be held Dec. 18-19 in Central Florida. Woods and his son, Charlie, competed in the event last year and there had been some speculation that he would be able to return this year.

Woods recently posted a video of himself hitting a wedge and said Tuesday that he has played “full holes” during his recovery. He would also be able to ride in a golf cart and could depend on his son for any shots he might not be able to hit, but he didn’t sound like a man poised for a return.

“To see some of my shots fall out of the sky a lot shorter than they used to is a little eye opening, but at least I'm able to do it again. That's something that, for a while there, it didn't look like I was going to,” he said. “Now I'm able to participate in the sport of golf, now to what level, I do not know that. I'll keep you abreast.”

PNC Championship officials said last week they are holding a spot in the field for Woods and his son if he is able to play.

In the NWSL's first big move of the offseason, U.S. women's national team midfielder Samantha Mewis is headed from the North Carolina Courage to the Kansas City Current.

In exchange, defender Kiki Pickett is headed to the Courage, along with the Current's natural first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL college draft, which is scheduled for Dec. 18 in Los Angeles.

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"I'm really excited to start this new chapter with Kansas City," Mewis said in a written statement. "I know how much the city has embraced our sport and I can't wait to meet the fans. I'm honored to be part of what this group is doing and I'm really looking forward to getting started with my new teammates. I have a lot of confidence in this team already and can't wait to get to work."

Mewis, 29, joins the Current after seven seasons with the Courage, which included winning three NWSL Championships in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

Mewis joined Manchester City in August 2020 before returning to the Courage this past May after one season, but she played in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons for the Courage due to the different calendars between leagues.

"Sam Mewis has proven herself as one of the best soccer players in the world," co-owner Angie Long said in a written statement. "It's not a coincidence that everywhere she's played throughout her career, titles have followed. She's a leader on and off the field and we are thrilled to have her join the Current as a key contributor to help bring NWSL Championships to Kansas City."

A native of Hanson, Mass., Mewis emerged as a go-to starter for the U.S. national team during the 2019 Women's World Cup, which the U.S. won, beating the Netherlands 2-0 in Lyon France.

Mewis was also ranked No. 1 in ESPN's top 50 players of 2020.

Mewis was drafted by the Western New York Flash in 2015, and she continued playing there when the club was moved to North Carolina and renamed the Courage in 2017.

The 2021 NWSL season ended on Nov. 20 with the Washington Spirit beating the Chicago Red Stars 2-1 in extra time.

The Kansas City Current joined the NWSL in 2021 as a relocated team from Utah and played without a name, finishing in last place in the 10-team league.

The club announced its logo and Current name last month.

The Utah Royals were sold to Long, a Kansas City native, and her husband Chris Long late last year in the fallout of allegations that Royals owner Dell Loy Hansen had used racist language and fostered a toxic environment for women in the organization.

The Royals had been relocated in 2017 from FC Kansas City, one of the founding clubs in the NWSL, after problems with the club there.