LeBron James Calls Foul On Houston Rockets GM’s “Misinformed” Tweet In Favor Of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters

LeBron James has slammed NBA team owners for treating players with a “slave mentality” and weathered Fox New host Laura Ingraham’s bellow that the L.A. Laker and other pro athletes should “shut up and dribble” when it comes to social and political topics.

Not so much for Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey it seems.

Turns out King James believes that when it comes to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong seeking to persevere against the dissent crushing one-party People’s Republic of China, one of the winningest general managers in the NBA should have kept his “misinformed” mouth shut.

“I don’t want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey but I believe that he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke,” the EP and host of HBO’s engaging yak fest The Shop told reporters today in L.A. after spending several days in China as the Communist government ramped up its backlash against the league and its big big bucks business interests.

“So many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically emotionally, spiritually. So just be careful what we tweet, what we say and we do,” NIKE sponsored James added in a nearly eight-minute stint in front of the microphones that seemed to abruptly veer from Central Committee approved talking points to clichés about selfishness, NBA travel arrangements to the blatantly self-conscious – as you can see in the tweet below:

LeBron James speaks for the first time since the NBA’s trip to China, says Rockets GM Daryl Morey was “misinformed” about the ramifications of his tweet, and “not educated about the situation.” Here are LeBron’s comments in full: pic.twitter.com/Rwjnchm2w3

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 15, 2019

LeBron doubled down soon afterwards with a series of tweets that basically said Morey cramped his style and should have been quiet until the NBA exhibition games in mainland China last week were done.

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) October 15, 2019

My team and this league just went through a difficult week. I think people need to understand what a tweet or statement can do to others. And I believe nobody stopped and considered what would happen. Could have waited a week to send it.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 15, 2019

On October 4 M.I.T. Sloan M.B.A. graduate Morey tweeted out an image that said ”Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” Soon afterwards, the 12-year Rockets GM delated the tweet, as Beijing pulled contracts and put NBA exhibition games in China in a vice. The league called the tweet “regrettable” and the Rockets owner throwing his own GM under the bus for voicing support for the wide spread demonstrations the past few months that has sought great political autonomy for the territory from mainland China.

And that was just the start.

In China for two games against the Brooklyn Nets this past weekend, James and the Lakers were pretty much on a media and literally lockdown as the NBA tried to placate Chinese reaction amidst clearly coordinated repercussions and TV blackout. Though NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly said in Japan on October 8 that Morey was “supported in terms of his ability to exercise his freedom of expression,” the Rockets GM himself had already sought to blunt his own pretty straightforward pro-freedom tweet.

1/ I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.

— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) October 7, 2019

2/ I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.

— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) October 7, 2019

Though the Chinese regime blocks the Internet, is locking up over a million Uyghur Muslims in internment camps in the country’s Western regions and has a heavy selection of troops sitting just outside Hong Kong right now, among other things, looks like they were hoping for more of a three pointer in making sure the NBA just dribbled – as the regime mocking South Park will surely satire later this week.