LeBron James is the second highest paid player in the NBA and arguably the most popular All-Star in the league.
He has built a reputation in recent years for being extremely outspoken on controversial topics and was never short of words when it came to sharing his views on President Donald Trump and his policies which he claimed were divisive.
The NBA has taken a lot of heat in the past couple of weeks after Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted against in support of the protests taking place in Hong Kong over China’s high-handedness.
That one tweet causes so much trouble for the NBA as China took offense and threatened to cut ties with the league while a number of Chinese companies revoked their sponsorships and broadcast deals with the NBA.
Fox Business
The NBA gets a significant stream of income from the Chinese market and Chinese companies and was quick to try and make amends. LeBron James also threw his support behind China and claimed that GM Morey wasn’t very certain of the political tensions between the two countries when he sent out his tweet.
King James’s comments sparked a backlash in Hong Kong as many of his fans were appalled to see him take China’s side in what many claim is a human rights issue. Hong Kong protestors burnt Lebron James’s La Lakers Jersey to show how upset they were with his comments.
LeBron James quickly tried to clear the air by claiming that what he meant was that GM Morey did not completely understand the tensions between China and Hong Kong when he sent out the tweet. James played it safe and said he wasn’t referring to the content of the tweet and whether it was right or wrong!
Let me clear up the confusion. I do not believe there was any consideration for the consequences and ramifications of the tweet. I’m not discussing the substance. Others can talk About that.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) 15 October 2019
His stance on the China-HK issue has disappointed thousands of his fans all over the world including the United States. For James not to take a stance on the China-HK issue is hypocritical given the fact that he is so outspoken on the ‘injustices’ he feels that President Trump is perpetrating on the American people.
James has lost thousands of fans because they feel he preferred to keep his financial priorities right and not say anything that would further jeopardize the NBA’s relationship with China, preferring to overlook human rights violations in HK.
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