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.”
Appeals judge seems skeptical of sentence for pro-Trump Colorado clerk Tina Peters
Obama wingman Eric Holder defended Walz’s vetting — then Minnesota’s fraud scandal erupted
Fox News Host Confronts Minneapolis Mayor to His Face on Dangerous ICE Rhetoric: ‘Here’s the Little Secret’
Cynthia Lummis endorses Hageman for Wyoming Senate seat
CDC urged by senators to combat ‘rapid rise’ in youth sports gambling
Trump’s Economy Just Took a Wrecking Ball to Biden’s ‘Mom Has to Work 3 Jobs’ Nightmare
Democrats request over $30 million for pro-LGBT United Nations agency in appropriations bill
Federal court clears California’s new House map boosting Democrats ahead of 2026 midterms
Protesters clash with federal officers after another ICE shooting in Minneapolis
Hochul endorses legislation to allow New Yorkers to sue ICE agents: ‘Power does not justify abuse’
Mamdani housing czar called ‘White, middle-class homeowners’ a ‘huge problem’ during 2021 podcast appearance
Parents erupt into massive brawl during Catholic youth basketball game in Staten Island
ICE agent shoots Venezuelan national in Minneapolis after shovel attack during ambush: DHS
Taxpayer-funded Minnesota charter school shuts down in-person learning amid ICE raids
Top federal Minnesota prosecutors officially terminated after dispute over ICE shooting probe
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.
Appeals judge seems skeptical of sentence for pro-Trump Colorado clerk Tina Peters
Obama wingman Eric Holder defended Walz’s vetting — then Minnesota’s fraud scandal erupted
Fox News Host Confronts Minneapolis Mayor to His Face on Dangerous ICE Rhetoric: ‘Here’s the Little Secret’
Cynthia Lummis endorses Hageman for Wyoming Senate seat
CDC urged by senators to combat ‘rapid rise’ in youth sports gambling
Trump’s Economy Just Took a Wrecking Ball to Biden’s ‘Mom Has to Work 3 Jobs’ Nightmare
Democrats request over $30 million for pro-LGBT United Nations agency in appropriations bill
Federal court clears California’s new House map boosting Democrats ahead of 2026 midterms
Protesters clash with federal officers after another ICE shooting in Minneapolis
Hochul endorses legislation to allow New Yorkers to sue ICE agents: ‘Power does not justify abuse’
Mamdani housing czar called ‘White, middle-class homeowners’ a ‘huge problem’ during 2021 podcast appearance
Parents erupt into massive brawl during Catholic youth basketball game in Staten Island
ICE agent shoots Venezuelan national in Minneapolis after shovel attack during ambush: DHS
Taxpayer-funded Minnesota charter school shuts down in-person learning amid ICE raids
Top federal Minnesota prosecutors officially terminated after dispute over ICE shooting probe
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.
