LeBron James is a name mostly heard during basketball games and sports programs, but this week the NBA superstar is on the tongues of politicians and journalists after he made a controversial statement seemingly in support of China in its recent struggle against Hong Kong’s fight for independence.
On Oct. 4, Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, caused events to be cancelled and merchandise to be stripped from shelves in China by tweeting seven short words: “fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.”
After maximizing their profits in the American market, the NBA saw the chance to invest in China, as well, creating strong ties to the country. This investment has translated into billions of dollars of business in China for NBA owners, players and the league itself over the years.
More than a week after the tweet, James told Silver Screen and Roll, a Los Angeles Lakers-dedicated publication, that he felt Morey “wasn’t educated on the situation at hand, and he spoke and so many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.”
James knows his words matter, and if he believes uninformed people should stay quiet, he should take his own advice. On the other hand, he has no excuse to be uninformed about a conflict that has shaken the world and especially the NBA to its core.
James was praised for his support of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2017 and was seemingly the perfect blend of athlete and activist at the time, using his immense audience to raise awareness about important issues.
But his handling of the current situation raises the question of whether that advocacy was truly born in James’ passion for social equality or his calculations of which political stance would bring home the most brand deals.
The league has been suppressing all anti-China sentiment lately, and peaceful protesters were even kicked out of a game for holding signs and wearing shirts in support of Hong Kong. Morey was made to delete his tweet and soon issued an apology, but not before the Chinese Basketball Association halted business with the Rockets altogether.
In their suppression of the Hong Kong cause, the Chinese government has enforced dangerous violations of human rights and privacy through brutal attacks on peaceful protestors and the threat of dystopian methods such as facial recognition in the streets of Hong Kong to be used for arrests.
James did not have to make a statement on the issue if he had nothing of any importance to say, yet he decided to use his platform to not only suppress free speech, but bolster the financial agenda of the NBA, himself and an oppressive regime.
It is understandable that the NBA wants to keep its ties with China, as does most of the American economy, but an organization’s corrupt ties should not go so far as to censor its public figures and even the public. For now, the NBA is protecting itself from more cancelled games and events in China, but eventually it will need to protect itself from being swallowed in authoritarianism.
If James was so worried about uninformed individuals making harmful statements, he should have thought harder before essentially defending a country that is systematically oppressing a minority population.
