First Amendment International News Opinons Politics Sports

LeBron Caves to China: Blasts Uneducated Rockets GM, Free Speech

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.”



Chinese Spies May Be Stalking You on Your Job Hunt
VIDEO: DWI Suspect Fleeing Cops Is Stopped Dead in His Tracks by Alligator… and It Attacked
Promises kept: Howard Lutnick on the anniversary of the deal that saved U.S. Steel
Taiwan opposition leader praises ‘gentle’ Xi Jinping as she insists her nation must embrace Chinese identity
‘The Office’ star blasts political ‘hypocrisy,’ explains why sitcom couldn’t be made today
Trump backs MAGA champion Mike Collins in Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff
Two suspects arrested after crashing through Camp Pendleton gate with 112 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl
UFC Weigh-in at Freedom 250: Photos
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Anti-Kirk teacher honored, ICE supporter expelled, Pride display problem
Judge defends barring cameras from Karmelo Anthony murder trial, says it was ‘an easy decision’
Florida man arrested for DUI after troopers allegedly find 34 open alcohol containers in vehicle
Armed Citizens Stop Supermarket Shooter In Missouri
New Declassified Docs Give Tulsi Gabbard The Last Laugh On Ukrainian Biolabs
Socialist Mayor Floats Taking Guns Away From Pimps Instead Of Just Arresting Them For Trafficking
Leading Democrat Senate Candidate’s Ex-Staffer Charged For Alleged Pro-Terrorist Vandalism

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.


Chinese Spies May Be Stalking You on Your Job Hunt
VIDEO: DWI Suspect Fleeing Cops Is Stopped Dead in His Tracks by Alligator… and It Attacked
Promises kept: Howard Lutnick on the anniversary of the deal that saved U.S. Steel
Taiwan opposition leader praises ‘gentle’ Xi Jinping as she insists her nation must embrace Chinese identity
‘The Office’ star blasts political ‘hypocrisy,’ explains why sitcom couldn’t be made today
Trump backs MAGA champion Mike Collins in Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff
Two suspects arrested after crashing through Camp Pendleton gate with 112 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl
UFC Weigh-in at Freedom 250: Photos
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Anti-Kirk teacher honored, ICE supporter expelled, Pride display problem
Judge defends barring cameras from Karmelo Anthony murder trial, says it was ‘an easy decision’
Florida man arrested for DUI after troopers allegedly find 34 open alcohol containers in vehicle
Armed Citizens Stop Supermarket Shooter In Missouri
New Declassified Docs Give Tulsi Gabbard The Last Laugh On Ukrainian Biolabs
Socialist Mayor Floats Taking Guns Away From Pimps Instead Of Just Arresting Them For Trafficking
Leading Democrat Senate Candidate’s Ex-Staffer Charged For Alleged Pro-Terrorist Vandalism
See also  Rubio gets somber at UFC event, says world is so polarized there are few things that ‘bring people together’

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.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter