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-backed candidates score major boost from deep-pocketed AI Super PAC in upcoming primaries
How AIPAC’s spending strategy evolved, to the dread of anti-Israel Democrats and Republican detractors
Tulsi Gabbard honors wish of Gold Star wife to visit husband’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery
Trump flexes MAGA muscle in Texas Senate runoff clash between Cornyn and Paxton
Skydiver dies after midair collision with another jumper during group jump in Washington state
Dog accidentally fires shotgun, striking woman yards away during chaotic gas station stop
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner embraces democratic socialism at Bernie Sanders rally in Portland
Jacob Frey criticized for remembering George Floyd on Memorial Day, six years after death sparked riots
Widow of ‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle Hits Back Against Dem Senate Candidate for ‘Making Things Up’
Watch: Trump Sums Up Memorial Day Better and Quicker Than Any President in Living Memory – Just 9 Words
President Trump Explains Importance of Memorial Day in Rousing Speech: ‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’
Dem City Gave Muslim Group $35k and Didn’t Track How It Was Spent
Anti-ICE protesters clash with agents outside New Jersey detention center as Gov Sherrill denied entry
Lawmaker Convicted Under ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ Law for Writing Pro-Marriage Pamphlet
Stomach Churning: Paragliding Woman Videos Herself Plummeting After Mid-Air Crash With Plane
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-backed candidates score major boost from deep-pocketed AI Super PAC in upcoming primaries
How AIPAC’s spending strategy evolved, to the dread of anti-Israel Democrats and Republican detractors
Tulsi Gabbard honors wish of Gold Star wife to visit husband’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery
Trump flexes MAGA muscle in Texas Senate runoff clash between Cornyn and Paxton
Skydiver dies after midair collision with another jumper during group jump in Washington state
Dog accidentally fires shotgun, striking woman yards away during chaotic gas station stop
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner embraces democratic socialism at Bernie Sanders rally in Portland
Jacob Frey criticized for remembering George Floyd on Memorial Day, six years after death sparked riots
Widow of ‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle Hits Back Against Dem Senate Candidate for ‘Making Things Up’
Watch: Trump Sums Up Memorial Day Better and Quicker Than Any President in Living Memory – Just 9 Words
President Trump Explains Importance of Memorial Day in Rousing Speech: ‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’
Dem City Gave Muslim Group $35k and Didn’t Track How It Was Spent
Anti-ICE protesters clash with agents outside New Jersey detention center as Gov Sherrill denied entry
Lawmaker Convicted Under ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ Law for Writing Pro-Marriage Pamphlet
Stomach Churning: Paragliding Woman Videos Herself Plummeting After Mid-Air Crash With Plane
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.
