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.”
Court filings reveal Kyrsten Sinema had sex multiple times with married bodyguard while serving as senator
Justice Thomas reveals this elite institution is ‘off limits’ to him: ‘That’s the world we’re in’
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is a slog for the uninitiated
Military Identifies 2 Soldiers Killed in Texas Helicopter Crash Earlier This Week
Shooting Rocks University Campus as School Prepares for Classes to Resume
Companies Back Down After Red State AG’s Debanking Probe
He’s Baaaack: Platner Returns to Political Spotlight as His Replacement Deals with a Domestic Violence Allegation of His Own
Nearly One-in-Six Americans Have Acted on AI Medical Advice Without Speaking to Human, Poll Shows
Florida cold case suspect allegedly confesses to 1987 murder and reveals secret crime-scene details
Virginia State University shooting: At least 5 injured, one critically
ICYMI: Judge Shuts Down Democrats’ Attempt to Rush in Late Votes After Candidates Drop Out
Top Dem operative brushes off latest scandal plaguing Maine Senate candidate as ‘salacious gossip’
Gun rights gets ‘greatest restoration’ in 100 years with latest Trump DOJ move, lawmaker hails
DSA brand on trial as El-Sayed struggles where Dems can least afford it
Socialist in Trump country gives Karl Marx vision thumbs-up before ducking key tax question
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.
Court filings reveal Kyrsten Sinema had sex multiple times with married bodyguard while serving as senator
Justice Thomas reveals this elite institution is ‘off limits’ to him: ‘That’s the world we’re in’
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is a slog for the uninitiated
Military Identifies 2 Soldiers Killed in Texas Helicopter Crash Earlier This Week
Shooting Rocks University Campus as School Prepares for Classes to Resume
Companies Back Down After Red State AG’s Debanking Probe
He’s Baaaack: Platner Returns to Political Spotlight as His Replacement Deals with a Domestic Violence Allegation of His Own
Nearly One-in-Six Americans Have Acted on AI Medical Advice Without Speaking to Human, Poll Shows
Florida cold case suspect allegedly confesses to 1987 murder and reveals secret crime-scene details
Virginia State University shooting: At least 5 injured, one critically
ICYMI: Judge Shuts Down Democrats’ Attempt to Rush in Late Votes After Candidates Drop Out
Top Dem operative brushes off latest scandal plaguing Maine Senate candidate as ‘salacious gossip’
Gun rights gets ‘greatest restoration’ in 100 years with latest Trump DOJ move, lawmaker hails
DSA brand on trial as El-Sayed struggles where Dems can least afford it
Socialist in Trump country gives Karl Marx vision thumbs-up before ducking key tax question
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.
