NBA star LeBron James sparked outrage when he spoke out about the ongoing NBA China controversy last night. He criticized Houston Rocket's General Manager Daryl Morey saying: "Yes, we do have freedom of speech, 'But at times, there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others, when you only think about yourself. I don't want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn't educated on the situation at hand...So many people could have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually...So just be careful what we tweet and what we say and what we do. Even though, yes we do have freedom of speech, it can be a lot of negative that comes with it."
People are now claiming LeBron James himself is a hypocrite due to his actions in the past of encouraging and urging other athletes to use their platform to affect social change. James has spoken out in favor of Colin Kaepernick and his anti-police stance in the NFL as well as been an active voice against President Trump. Yet here he is telling Houston Rocket's General Manager Daryl Morey that he should have thought about the repercussions of how his tweet (a tweet essentially trying to affect social change in China) could affect the NBA and others in it. Does that not sound a bit hypocritical to you?
Journalists and other commentators are bashing James' actions saying things like:
"I’m President Xi, and I approved this message:” -Laura Ingraham
"Let me clear up the confusion. Lebron James cares more about selling sneakers in China than American values His performative wokeness over the years has been utterly exposed" -Saagar Enjeti -The Hill
"I defended LeBron James on-air when President Trump attacked him. I thought it was a bad move by POTUS. Given this incredibly cowardly statement, perhaps I was wrong? Seems LeBron cares about two things: money...and himself..." -Steve Cortes -CNN Political Commentator
"By criticizing Daryl Morey on Monday, LeBron James endorsed a world where calling out his own government for wrongdoing is encouraged but China is above reproach. It's the most shameful day of his career." - Dan Wolken -USA Today Columnist
LeBron since tried to walk back his original comments claiming he was not talking about the subject of the tweet, just the notion of tweeting out on issues. Does that not make you appear to be even more of a hypocrite? You're digging yourself deeper LeBron...
Here's a thought LeBron maybe stand by your values and if you're encouraging others in the NBA world to affect social change, own it at all costs, not just when it doesn't affect your wallet.
-Producer Lightning