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.”
‘Have You Called 911?’ Tommy Tubberville Shares Details on Lindsey Graham’s Tragic Final Moments
Watch: Today They’d Call This White Supremacist, Christian Nationalist Propaganda – In the 1980s It Was a Typical Razor Ad
These states are ‘ahead of the game’ in bringing down home prices, Trump’s housing chief says
Trump to shrink 2 Utah national monuments by 90%
Deputy US Marshal fatally shot while serving arrest warrant in Louisiana
Dog accidentally turns on toaster, sparking Maryland house fire that killed 3 family pets
Hegseth announces joint task force with DOJ to prosecute leaks to journalists ‘with the full force of the law’
Mamdani offers few answers as massive homeless encampment sprouts in west Manhattan
Historic Video: US Deployed First-Ever Sea-Based Drones to Blow Apart Submarine and Ship Facility in Iran
What to know about Darline Graham Nordone, South Carolina’s newest senator
Democrats running to replace Platner in key Senate race call for ICE to be ‘abolished’
Breaking: Trump to Address the Nation This Week in Prime-Time Comments
Trump-backed Daylight Saving Time bill clears key House hurdle
Maine ICE shooting victim was not target of arrest warrant, Sen. King’s office says after earlier DHS account
Top economists and AI leaders warn of ‘unprecedented transformation’
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.
‘Have You Called 911?’ Tommy Tubberville Shares Details on Lindsey Graham’s Tragic Final Moments
Watch: Today They’d Call This White Supremacist, Christian Nationalist Propaganda – In the 1980s It Was a Typical Razor Ad
These states are ‘ahead of the game’ in bringing down home prices, Trump’s housing chief says
Trump to shrink 2 Utah national monuments by 90%
Deputy US Marshal fatally shot while serving arrest warrant in Louisiana
Dog accidentally turns on toaster, sparking Maryland house fire that killed 3 family pets
Hegseth announces joint task force with DOJ to prosecute leaks to journalists ‘with the full force of the law’
Mamdani offers few answers as massive homeless encampment sprouts in west Manhattan
Historic Video: US Deployed First-Ever Sea-Based Drones to Blow Apart Submarine and Ship Facility in Iran
What to know about Darline Graham Nordone, South Carolina’s newest senator
Democrats running to replace Platner in key Senate race call for ICE to be ‘abolished’
Breaking: Trump to Address the Nation This Week in Prime-Time Comments
Trump-backed Daylight Saving Time bill clears key House hurdle
Maine ICE shooting victim was not target of arrest warrant, Sen. King’s office says after earlier DHS account
Top economists and AI leaders warn of ‘unprecedented transformation’
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.
