On Tuesday, NBA All-Star LeBron James weighed in on the major league baseball cheating scandal involving the Houston Astros, who have been accused of stealing the 2017 World Series title because they used electronic communications to steal signs. James lectured MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for not doing more to address the situation, prompting sports commentator Clay Travis to remind James that James had no moral high ground to stand on after he had defended the brutally repressive government of Communist China when Houston Rockets’ General Manager Daryl Morey stood up for Hong Kong’s democracy against Communist China.
James tweeted:
Listen I know I don’t play baseball but I am in Sports and I know if someone cheated me out of winning the title and I found out about it I would be F*^king irate! I mean like uncontrollable about what I would/could do! Listen here baseball commissioner listen to your players speaking today about how disgusted, mad, hurt, broken, etc etc about this. Literally the ball is in your court (or should I say field) and you need to fix this for the sake of Sports!
Listen I know I don’t play baseball but I am in Sports and I know if someone cheated me out of winning the title and I found out about it I would be F*^king irate! I mean like uncontrollable about what I would/could do! Listen here baseball commissioner listen to your…..
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 18, 2020
players speaking today about how disgusted, mad, hurt, broken, etc etc about this. Literally the ball(⚾️) is in your court(or should I say field) and you need to fix this for the sake of Sports! #JustMyThoughtsComingFromASportsJunkieRegardlessMyOwnSportIPlay
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 18, 2020
Travis blasted:
LeBron, as someone who is in sports what do you think about a league, players and coaches that refuse to endorse democracy and the first amendment because it’s bad for business, yet constantly lecture us about politics here in America. Thanks, bud.
I find it wildly hypocritical how LeBron is outspoken on sports issues that don’t impact his bottom line at all. Yet totally silent when his bottom line is threatened in any way. Says nothing on China. Weighs in to try and make the NFL and MLB look bad when he can.
LeBron, as someone who is in sports what do you think about a league, players and coaches that refuse to endorse democracy and the first amendment because it’s bad for business, yet constantly lecture us about politics here in America. Thanks, bud. https://t.co/CemDzXEFQB
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 18, 2020
I find it wildly hypocritical how LeBron is outspoken on sports issues that don’t impact his bottom line at all. Yet totally silent when his bottom line is threatened in any way. Says nothing on China. Weighs in to try and make the NFL and MLB look bad when he can.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 18, 2020
Morey had tweeted, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” The Chinese consulate in Houston snapped, “We are deeply shocked by the erroneous comments on Hong Kong made by Mr. Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets. We have lodged representations and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Houston Rockets, and urged the latter to correct the error and take immediate concrete measures to eliminate the adverse impact.”
Though Morey deleted the tweet after the blowback, the Chinese Basketball Association said they would sever ties with the Rockets.
NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass stated:
We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.
As The Daily Wire reported, James echoed the NBA, saying:
We all talk about this freedom of speech, yes, we all do have freedom of speech but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you’re not thinking about others and you’re only thinking about yourself. I don’t want to get into a … feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke. So many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So, just be careful what we tweet and say and what we do even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech there can be a lot of negatives that comes with that too.
The Hollywood Reporter noted the backlash to James’ statements from the protestors in Hong Kong who were putting their lives on the line for democracy:
The online platform LIHKG, the forum favored by Hong Kong’s protestors, was awash with criticism and handwringing Tuesday. “Has he been brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party’s fake news or has he been bought?” wrote one user. “I really cannot believe that someone from the U.S. would not cherish the precious freedom of speech they have,” added another.
James’ tweet from Martin Luther King Day in 2018 honoring King was mocked by another LIHKG user, who wrote, “Martin Luther King Jr. fought for civil rights, but LeBron James supports totalitarianism?”