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.”
Victor Davis Hanson: Consequences Await Tim Walz After Somali Fraud Scandal
How the Feds Unmasked, Caught Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Suspect
911 calls from deadly Texas Hill Country flood reveal heartbreaking pleas
High-brow New Jersey suburb’s high school launches Socialist Club with Karl Marx imagery
Hollywood star endorses Republican for California governor after ‘devastating’ Newsom admin
Walz ‘derelict leadership’ to blame in $1B fraud scandal with ‘haunting reminds of Watergate’: GOP challenger
How one of the biggest local TV mergers ever could blow a hole in Trump’s affordability push
Marjorie Taylor Greene plays hooky with House resignation in sight
Hard to Read: Lesbian Couple Facing 1st Degree Murder Charge After Foster Son Found Dying in Horrific State – Their Nickname for Him Was Evil
Jan. 6 bomb suspect’s arrest exposes holes in FBI’s story about cellphone data
Chick-Fil-A Under Fire After Betraying Loyal Customers with Shockingly Woke Statement
State-level AI rules survive — for now — as Senate sinks moratorium despite White House pressure
Democrats reveal whether they believe US citizens or drug boat traffickers are more important
Detained illegal immigrants will face $5K ‘apprehension fee’: Border Patrol chief
DHS fires back after Dem lawmaker claims she was ‘pushed aside and pepper sprayed’ during ICE raid
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.
Victor Davis Hanson: Consequences Await Tim Walz After Somali Fraud Scandal
How the Feds Unmasked, Caught Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Suspect
911 calls from deadly Texas Hill Country flood reveal heartbreaking pleas
High-brow New Jersey suburb’s high school launches Socialist Club with Karl Marx imagery
Hollywood star endorses Republican for California governor after ‘devastating’ Newsom admin
Walz ‘derelict leadership’ to blame in $1B fraud scandal with ‘haunting reminds of Watergate’: GOP challenger
How one of the biggest local TV mergers ever could blow a hole in Trump’s affordability push
Marjorie Taylor Greene plays hooky with House resignation in sight
Hard to Read: Lesbian Couple Facing 1st Degree Murder Charge After Foster Son Found Dying in Horrific State – Their Nickname for Him Was Evil
Jan. 6 bomb suspect’s arrest exposes holes in FBI’s story about cellphone data
Chick-Fil-A Under Fire After Betraying Loyal Customers with Shockingly Woke Statement
State-level AI rules survive — for now — as Senate sinks moratorium despite White House pressure
Democrats reveal whether they believe US citizens or drug boat traffickers are more important
Detained illegal immigrants will face $5K ‘apprehension fee’: Border Patrol chief
DHS fires back after Dem lawmaker claims she was ‘pushed aside and pepper sprayed’ during ICE raid
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.
