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.”
Conservative firebrand vows to purge ‘RINOs’ in battle to replace retiring Vern Buchanan in open Florida seat
When anti-ICE clashes trigger federal intervention: Experts explain the constitutional breaking point
Nancy Guthrie’s Neighbor Details Mysterious Sighting Shortly Before Disappearance
Actor and Producer Timothy Busfield Charged with Committing Child Sex Crimes on Set
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Nancy Guthrie’s abduction, Ohio dentist’s autopsy, Suitcase Killer’s sentence
Chagos handover in limbo after Trump softens on deal, bill pulled from UK Parliament
Second federal judge blocks IRS from sharing addresses with ICE
NFL Under Fire After Awards Show Is Marred by Multiple ‘Unprofessional and Disrespectful’ Gaffes
More than a dozen anti-ICE agitators hauled away by NYPD near Columbia University
Nigeria’s first lady says US strikes were a ‘blessing,’ welcomes collaboration with Trump
House Oversight Committee Sends Demand to Ilhan Omar’s Husband
Republicans blast Democrats’ Trump election meddling claims as hypocritical ‘conspiracy theory’
Mounds of Snow and Trash Are Just the Opening Act of Mamdani’s Collectivist New York
Who is Kyle Wagner? Meet the self-identified Antifa member arrested after targeting ICE
Maryland Man Charged with Attempting to Murder Trump Administration Official
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.
Conservative firebrand vows to purge ‘RINOs’ in battle to replace retiring Vern Buchanan in open Florida seat
When anti-ICE clashes trigger federal intervention: Experts explain the constitutional breaking point
Nancy Guthrie’s Neighbor Details Mysterious Sighting Shortly Before Disappearance
Actor and Producer Timothy Busfield Charged with Committing Child Sex Crimes on Set
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Nancy Guthrie’s abduction, Ohio dentist’s autopsy, Suitcase Killer’s sentence
Chagos handover in limbo after Trump softens on deal, bill pulled from UK Parliament
Second federal judge blocks IRS from sharing addresses with ICE
NFL Under Fire After Awards Show Is Marred by Multiple ‘Unprofessional and Disrespectful’ Gaffes
More than a dozen anti-ICE agitators hauled away by NYPD near Columbia University
Nigeria’s first lady says US strikes were a ‘blessing,’ welcomes collaboration with Trump
House Oversight Committee Sends Demand to Ilhan Omar’s Husband
Republicans blast Democrats’ Trump election meddling claims as hypocritical ‘conspiracy theory’
Mounds of Snow and Trash Are Just the Opening Act of Mamdani’s Collectivist New York
Who is Kyle Wagner? Meet the self-identified Antifa member arrested after targeting ICE
Maryland Man Charged with Attempting to Murder Trump Administration Official
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.
