LeBron James called Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey uneducated and went off at-length about the “negative” side-effects of free speech, in reaction to Morey’s tweet of support to pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong.
On October 4th, Morey tweeted a message of support of Hong Kong’s demonstrators, saying: “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.”
That message touched off a firestorm of controversy as China canceled minor league exhibition games and canceled numerous business deals with the Rockets, and the NBA. On Monday, Lakers forward LeBron James spoke publicly about the incident for the first time, and didn’t mince words while calling Morey out for a tweet that he says could have caused people to be physically “harmed.”
Trump Seeks to Take ‘Fat, Rich Insurance Companies’ Out of the Equation as He Lays Out ‘the Only’ Healthcare Plan He Will ‘Approve’
House Democrats in Turmoil as Allegations of Lying and ‘Election Subversion’ Fly: Report
Senate unanimously votes to send bill demanding Epstein file release to Trump’s desk
Former Obama staffer, ex-congressman among candidates in crowded Democrat primary for Mikie Sherrill’s seat
Report: George Soros Sent Funding to Group That Aims to Crush Conservative Media
Mexican president rejects US striking drug cartels despite riots over violent crime
YouTube fishing creator Mikey Rijavec found dead days after mayday call off Mexico coast
Watch: Professor Crashes Turning Point Meeting and Berates Students
Chicago woman set on fire during argument on CTA train, police say
Power stripped from Education Department in latest Trump administration move to dismantle it
US Ambassador Michael Waltz declares atrocities against Christians in Nigeria ‘genocide’
Catholic Priest and ‘Many Others’ Kidnapped by Armed Assailants
Republicans given green light to vote for Epstein list: ‘We’re done with words’
Republicans revive bid to require proof of citizenship for mail-in voter registration
Former Clinton and Obama Admin Official ‘Deeply Ashamed’ After Being Snared in Epstein Email Release
LeBron says he believes Rockets GM Daryl Morey wasn’t educated when he spoke about Hong Kong and that his tweet could have hurt a lot of people, including financially pic.twitter.com/UMj71DPQH7
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 15, 2019
The NBA received tremendous bipartisan criticism for their initial response to Morey’s tweet, when they responded by calling the post “regrettable” for the offense that it caused. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver eventually tried to quell the backlash by championing Morey’s free speech rights.
Trump Seeks to Take ‘Fat, Rich Insurance Companies’ Out of the Equation as He Lays Out ‘the Only’ Healthcare Plan He Will ‘Approve’
House Democrats in Turmoil as Allegations of Lying and ‘Election Subversion’ Fly: Report
Senate unanimously votes to send bill demanding Epstein file release to Trump’s desk
Former Obama staffer, ex-congressman among candidates in crowded Democrat primary for Mikie Sherrill’s seat
Report: George Soros Sent Funding to Group That Aims to Crush Conservative Media
Mexican president rejects US striking drug cartels despite riots over violent crime
YouTube fishing creator Mikey Rijavec found dead days after mayday call off Mexico coast
Watch: Professor Crashes Turning Point Meeting and Berates Students
Chicago woman set on fire during argument on CTA train, police say
Power stripped from Education Department in latest Trump administration move to dismantle it
US Ambassador Michael Waltz declares atrocities against Christians in Nigeria ‘genocide’
Catholic Priest and ‘Many Others’ Kidnapped by Armed Assailants
Republicans given green light to vote for Epstein list: ‘We’re done with words’
Republicans revive bid to require proof of citizenship for mail-in voter registration
Former Clinton and Obama Admin Official ‘Deeply Ashamed’ After Being Snared in Epstein Email Release
Now, with the league representatives and players back from their tumultuous trip to China, it seemed like the news cycle of the NBA-China rift had died down. However, with James denouncing free speech in even stronger terms than the NBA did while calling a pro-democracy tweet “uneducated,” it’s difficult to see the crisis going away.
It’s also difficult to see why James would so willingly and unnecessarily reignite the controversy.
Then again, perhaps it makes sense after all. James is still the best and most popular player in the league. Moreover, for nearly ten years he’s championed numerous social justice causes and launched numerous attacks against President Trump, all to the delight of the sports media.
Maybe he’s become so used to being applauded for speaking his mind, that he no longer recognizes when he shouldn’t?
Story cited here.
