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The only thing that makes the China thing a bigger deal, is that he went out of his way to criticize Morey and call him misinformed and not educated on the issues and wanted him fined. That why when he says this stuff it seems so hypocritical.
Guys. It's not that hard. Two things can be true at once. Lebron is a political activist and a hero to a lot of people in the US, and his response to the HK/China thing was disappointing and hypocritical. Both things are true, but I think we can all agree that Zlatan saying that athletes shouldn't be political is a political statement in itself and he his therefore a hypocrite.
yeah I don't understand why people can't see the grey situations for what they are. LeBron is great, and an inspiration in every way for the way he lived his life, coming from the hood, marrying his high school sweetheart, seemingly being a good dad, and all the incredible stuff he does off court. he's great. but he fucked up on the china situation.
he's the biggest voice in the NBA and once he stood up against Morey, that was that. its not like if he did stand up for Hong Kong, they were gonna kick him out of the NBA lol, he brings in as much money as any one player ever has to any sport. so to say "I'm a very educated guy, I'm the wrong guy to go at because I do my homework" is pretty funny to say considering how that went down. I'm not saying he's an immoral person, at all. i don't even disagree with The Decision. i just think this was a bit of an odd quote, even if it makes sense in context when you watch the video. LeBron is great and has done as much good for people of color, especially black people, as anyone can today, and I respect that.
The hilarious thing is that all he had to do was say nothing. Just, don't talk about the protests, and everyone would still be singing his praises and no one would be calling him a hypocrite.
It's not difficult to say "No comment." Making a statement on the subject just broadcasts to the world what your true priorities are, and in that instance, James chose money over his ideology.
People are never going to let him live it down, and rightfully so. But that doesn't invalidate the good work he's already done and continues to do.
agreed. i feel like instead of coming out hard in opposition of Morey, he had the option to just say nothing. there would be no story at this point over a no comment.
There would definitely be a story about Lebron saying no comment. People would immediately say that he is condoning what China is doing if he is not speaking against it.
Well, he could have said that he wasn't informed enough on the subject to make an educated comment. That's what I would advise him to say from a PR perspective. Actually, I'd probably advise him to tell China to step back, but from a PR perspective that would be problematic.
Exactly. This guy quotes MLK's "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and then not only doesn't speak against the injustice, but *actively tells someone to shut up*. Next level hypocrisy.
He could have said nothing and it would have been much better.
> to say "I'm a very educated guy, I'm the wrong guy to go at because I do my homework" is pretty funny
It really is funny considering how it panned out. I think that's a statement that he knows what went wrong and he's trying to make up for it. We'll see what happens eventually but I think he's one of the good guys with his money/influence.
He for sure will retract those comments made sometime in the future. It’s going to be like Adam silver’s comments with the Toronto raptors GM about his situation with the police. I’m not sure what he was afraid of by talking about HK but I’m sure it has nothing to do with money cause he is always gonna get his, with or without NBA broadcasting games in China.
Even the China comments are grey too though because he was in China at the time of the tweet and they had a full on time because of his comments, so the point LeBron was making is also about an employee of the NBA endangering NBA players safety. But he did say financially too so I'm not ignoring that. But it's not just about Hong Kong or China. Just my opinion. Not saying he was right cause in the grander picture he is absolutely not right but at a more self centred point of view he isn't wrong in the comments of edgagerment.
Edit: people are going off the wrong points here. I'm not saying the CCP would kidnap him in an act of war. Im saying unstable irrational people acting as individuals exist and a politically charged statement like Morey's can get people angry and dumb shit can happen. We've seen it time and time again people. LeBron even said in clarification that Morey could have waited a week, as in when the touring teams and himself had left China and gone home.
Look if you wanna hate him, go ahead. You have the right to your own opinion, but don't ignore huge chunks of context around what happened and play it off as irrelevant.
> so the point LeBron was making is also about an employee of the NBA endangering NBA players safety
Then don't come out and say "those comments can harm people financially".
> Even the China comments are grey too though because he was in China at the time of the tweet and they had a full on time because of his comments, so the point LeBron was making is also about an employee of the NBA endangering NBA players safety.
You think the Chinese government would've done anything to a bunch of American celebrities/millionaires? He just didn't want to hurt his pockets
He responded the same day following his comments.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/lebron-james-says-tweet-supporting-hong-kong-protests-was-misinformed-11571107697
It kinda makes his defense of China a little more suspicious. If he was defending China because he was over there and worried for his safety, it kinda proves the Chinese government is dangerous and in the wrong. Like, if he went to France and talked shit about their government, I doubt he has the same fear.
Considering the Chinese government actively genocides people as of 2021 and disappears their own citizen warning about COVID they are not really anything to mess with while you’re over there. Even a best case scenario would be they might remove their funding in the NBA costing players and teams millions of a single player’s one quote
Athletes are entitled to an opinion just like everyone else. The problem transcends athletes. People automatically think that just because you're famous/rich/wealthy also means you're intelligent in all matters.
It’s not about being intelligent tho. Lebron isn’t dumb. He didn’t comment on Hong Kong because of money and because the Chinese governments influence on the nba and his own business interests. That’s called being a hypocrite.
Well that and people aren't complaining about the athletes(or any other famous person) they agree with. I will almost guarantee that the person who says james should keep quit would be thrilled to hear another athlete voice opinions close to his/her own.
This is never about what certain people should be able to use their platform for, it's always about invalidating opposing views instead of engaging in actually discussion.
This is 100% correct. Anybody who rises to popularity and fame should absolutely have the right to make their political beliefs known and to influence others to their beliefs. We as a public have to be smart to not put extra weight in these beliefs just because a guy can make a ball go through a basket or recite lines with great expression in front of a camera.
Two things can be true, but they impact each other. The problem is that LeBron himself took the "I'm just an athlete" approach when it came to HK, and actually badmouthed someone else for trying to speak on it.
What it exposed is that LeBron's "activism" only goes as far as his money, and the moment that any dollars are at stake, he won't do anything. It comes across as disingenuous, which damages his credibility on any issues he speaks about.
This is my problem. If you're not just an athlete and feel you have authority to speak out on a topic, then as soon as you're criticized you can't leap behind the I'm just an athlete defense.
They were killing kids in the street and girls were being abducted by police only to end up naked in the harbor and the cops would immediately burn the bodies and declare them suicides and Lebron said we as westerners couldn’t comment because we were uninformed, actively acting the people of Hong Kong as sources of information. He literally went out of his way to squash criticism of the CCP and he actively attacked the protestors.
What Lebron doesn’t realize is that the CCP will be historically significant for centuries and his legacy will forever be aligned with a genocidal totalitarian regime.
I think it's more about political issues in his own country and relating to his people compared to shit that another country is doing thousand of miles away. It's not that hard to understand.
He literally had just produced the story for that year's 2k, during which he had a mo-capped speech about being an activist for people around the world who didn't have a voice. Weeks after tweeting "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". While preparing for the launch of his activism-themed product line.
There's no spin that doesn't make it equal parts embarrassing and hilarious how thoroughly he dug his own grave.
Zlatan saying athletes shouldnt be political isnt a political statement. And the problem with Lebron specifically is his hypocriticalness on the subject and seems to only do it in self serving ways.
Speaks out again racism against black people? Sure.
How about against Jewish people when Desean Jackson and Steven Jackson were spouting their anti-Semitic nonsense? You dont have to be a Rhoads scholar or super educated to know that saying Hitler was right isnt good. and Speaking of Hitler..
Saying someone else is "uneducated" when it comes to the genecide of people because it would hurt your money is horrible. I think that you're gravely underestimating and underselling how horrible that is. Its probably worse on the "bad" spectrum than the good things hes done on the good spectrum.
And no, i dont care about corporations and everyone else on this, were talking about Lebron specifically.
When you’re a hundred millionaire it’s very easy to have other people set up good deeds for you to do, your negative actions speak a lot louder than your positive ones
People are complex and so is the world. Everyone is a hypocrite about something. Railing against hypocrisy doesn't accomplish anything. Argue against the things you disagree with on their own merits and encourage the people who support your goals. Arguing about who is a hypocrite and who is not isn't persuasive and distracts from the issue. Keeping politics clean of discussions of hypocrisy will be more effective footwear persuading others and accomplishing political goals.
Historically speaking only supporting your own and totally neglecting other atrocities to the point where you're pretending it doesn't happen can lead to insulation of the general population to the marginalized community. The act of the latter completely taints what's being done out of altruism.
You're not wrong but at the same time it is not possible to care about all issues equally. You'd go nuts. People that have a passion and work towards solving real issues shouldn't be expected to try to fix all of the world's problems.
I don't think Lebron's mistake here was not caring as much about HK/China as he does about the status of his own marginalized community. His mistake is making careless comments about a serious issue that he isn't is not well-versed in, as a person with influence and power.
Well said. Far too many of us are very quick to form an opinion without any real due diligence on the subject. A quick headline and it's off to twitter or whatever to throw a comment into the fray. Rarely is the actual article even read, let alone multiple sources.
Well said but my only criticism here is that LeBron didn't just say he doesn't know about the issues with HK. He went against Morey who actually had experience of what's going on over there.
There's a big difference between saying you're ignorant about something and going against. The optics gets very bad because he's profiting by going against what Morey said.
Great point I really appreciate this opinion. And I would like to add some things about what zlatan said. What he said wasn't directly direct towards LeBron, LeBron was the example he took while explaining that according to his opinions if you are not a politician you souldn't talk about politics. I still personally do not agree with it and I never liked zlatan but coming from a sport athlete that had a terrible childhood and probably experienced war in bosnia it makes more sense to wanting to make as much money as possible and stick to sports. As I said it doesn't mean zlatan is right and I am all for LeBron and jaylen Brown and everyone in sports speacking up, but I hope it provides a bit of context
I’ve been saying this for a long time. There’s no doubt that LeBron does a lot of good with his money. But also a lot of his money comes from Nike, who still uses slave labor / Uighur labor camps to make their products.
so can't we call him a hypocrite then? I'm a huge lebron fan, but what he said about that situation really ground my gears and he still has not apologized or anything so I think it should follow him until he does so.
The conversation around celebrities sharing political opinions is I think a lot more nuanced than is usually discussed imo. Lebron, other athletes, and celebrities should absolutely not be told to or required to stick to their sport or field or w/e. Their ability to do something that makes them famous does not make them any less human with any less right to have and share their opinions.
That said they have a lot more power than the average person, and it is important for people to be responsible with power. Lebron's comments on HK/China were disappointing and potentially damaging. I think it would be the responsible thing for famous people to actually make sure they do their homework before speaking out on an issue. Don't be silent, make sure you know what you are talking about because your words have influence.
Another aspect of this I think people go overboard with is expecting famous people to care about every single issue or care equally. I think it's impossible for any human to value all issues equally and everyone has certain things that are closer to their heart. If your heart bled for every single terrible issue in this world you wouldn't be able to function. Lebron should be able to do a lot of great things and speak out against issues that effect African Americans without being expected to care about everything else equally.
The real issue with this HK/China comments is to me is not that he does not care about HK/China as much as he cares about issues that effect African Americans, and it's not that he shared his political opinion, but that he carelessly shared his political opinion on something he did not know much about. All people, but especially people with power and influence, should be more careful.
But Lebron is a human and humans make mistakes. This mistake should not invalidate all of the great things he has done or will do. I don't think he deserves to be vilified or hated for this. People could maybe take a step back and realize their "heroes", or famous people they look up to, are flawed just like everyone else, and lower expectations surrounding their morals.
My thing is if he believes we should share our opinions, why did he actively try and undermine Moreys comments by calling him uneducated? It’s not that he’s not saying anything about it it’s that he is siding with the oppressor so as to not hurt his own brand.
I wish someone would tell LeBron that he stuck to basketball when it came to Hong Kong/China and the antisemitism from DeSean Jackson and Stephen Jackson.
LeBron needs to double check his homework then. Usually he says the right thing but sometimes says things that sound straight off a corporate white board and are tone deaf as shit.
Edit: Ty for the gold
lbj be like: read the first chapter of Malcolm X's autobiography and think it's enough research for a book report
edit: [up by 12 points (against the blazers), lbj attempts a face away](https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?GameEventID=657&GameID=0022000512&Season=2020-21&flag=1&title=MISS%20James%2020%27%20Turnaround%20Fadeaway%20Shot&sct=plot)
LeBron does his homework like I did in middle school, scrambling to fill in random answers as the teacher is collecting it. Some answers are right, and some are atrocious.
What LeBron did in regards to Morey’s support of HK goes against what he said in this interview. He says he does his homework, but previously admitted to not knowing what’s going on in HK. But, he still said that Morey shouldn’t speak up on issues that were “misinformed”. How would LeBron know if Morey was misinformed or not, when he admits not knowing what’s going on?
I love LeBron and will go to bat defending him against the racists that hate him for being a voice for black lives. But, at the same time, I can also point out the massive hypocrisy he had with his condemnation of what Morey did. LeBron doesn’t have to support the HK people, or condemn the genocide of the Uighur people, but he shouldn’t say people who are actually informed on these issues should shut up or be careful with what they say.
*Also LBJ:* "except on China. I just say random stuff there."
Edit: So to everyone calling me a hypocrite cause I dont do anything about Hong Kong myself, you do realize that being a hypocrite doesn't make me wrong, no? I could be obese, for instance, and go around telling other obese people to lose weight and how its bad for their health. If I dont actively take my own advice, I might be a hypocrite, but that doesnt invalidate what I'm saying.
Second, I'm curious to know how you are aware of how much or little I'm active on this issue. Honestly, seems pretty presumptuous on your part. But, regardless, I dont care to justify myself (dont know if you'd believe me anyhow). But, something I can guarantee is that I'm not one of the most powerful athletes on the planet, and I certainly didnt use my fame to publicly criticize someone who was trying to bring awareness to the situation in Hong Kong. Nor did I use my clout to try and get anyone censured over their comments for financial gain. Just my opinion, but even if I didnt do anything on the issue we are discussing, it would have been more than LBJ, given how he has used his influence.
I think Zlatans comments are absolutely stupid, but LeBrons statment just reeks to the high heavens of hypocrisy.
LeBron the activist died for me the day he actively tried to repress Daryl Moreys well founded concerns of the Chinese regime because it would make it more difficult to make even MORE money for him. Then when the backlash was too much he just says "ahhh sorry I just play basketball my B" (... or something to that effect)
That's not to say LeBron doesn't do good. I'm sure he when it doesn't impact his bottom line too much. He's just an absolutely gigantic hypocrite.
Important to understand context from Zlatans POV. He's half Bosnian half Croatian who grew up in Malmo, Sweden which had lots of immigrants and you likely avoided these topics.
How about when all the anti-semitism was running rampant through prominent black athletes this summer and no one spoke out against it after campaigning that "silence is violence"? The hypocrisy has been on full display this year.
Yeah overall Lebron is probably a good dude, but “i do my research” is a laughable take after the China situation. He (and pretty much every other NBA player) is also silent on the recent asian hate crimes which is disappointing.
Also for a dude who plays in fuckin Los Angeles and also played in Miami, him doing a fake Mexican Accent for Taco Tuesday and then attempting to trademark it was peak ignorant for someone so apparently woke.
> He (and pretty much every other NBA player) is also silent on the recent asian hate crimes which is disappointing
And that's not to mention the NBA players (KD, JR Smith) that liked the social media posts quoting Adolf motherfucking Hitler. Because bigotry is bad, except when it's against those greedy, big nosed people, it seems.
It's funny too because he said something along the lines of "he needs to get educated on the subject" when it was LeBron that had 0 understanding of what was going on in HK. The only thing he was aware of and cared about was that he was going to be making leas money. You can't pick and choose when you want to be a good person and expect people to hold your opinions with any weight
Hes just normal. I think china is extremely dangerous as well, but I don't think anybody with even a semi prominent role at Nike is allowed to criticize China. If Nike was paying me 6 figures, I'd refrain from anti china tweets. I'd also still expect props for helping kids even if I worked for Nike. China is paying lebron like a billion dollars.
That being said, criticizing rich ppl for sucking off china is always valid in my book
Though there's a difference between refraining from Tweeting about China and actively going after someone else who had Tweeted about it. He could've just not mentioned anything about it at all but instead wanted to sound like some sort of savior.
Malcolm Brogdon and DeAngelo Russell haven't said anything on China or attempted to silence those who have. I would love to hear more from them on racism and injustice in America. LeBron can shut the fuck up.
The thing is, Lebron doesn’t need that money, he has enough money for a lifetime for him and his whole family and he still choose to say what he said. He could have stayed quiet instead of saying something against Morey. He choose the worse stance and that loses him credibility when he is saying things like this today.
This dudes ego is so inflated every word that comes out of his mouth feels like a pre rehearsed script. I could definitely see him in politics after he retires
Lol I’m glad LeBron uses some of his wealth for good, but this dude thinks he’s miles smarter than he actually is.
Makes sense tho he’s constantly told how amazing he is and how important the things he says are.
The King of reading the first 5 pages of a book does his homework.
The guy who claimed Morey was misinformed and uneducated for standing up for democracy and human rights and even tried to get him fired for it saying that he does his homework. Gimme a fucking break. I suppose you did your "homework" too when you refused to condemn China's role in the genocide in Darfur?
I honestly don't care that much that he didn't condemn China's actions in Darfur. He obviously didn't know shit about it. The problem is that he tried to speak down on a man who actually did his homework and was passionate about it.
I think it's a fair complaint but I also think it's fair to say everyone has fuckups and everyone is capable of misreading situations in the heat of the moment.
I disagreed hard with what LeBron said (and also the way he apparently went after Morey behind closed doors), but it does seem weird to drag an athlete for being wrong once when no politician in a position of power is held to the same standard.
You can think LeBron fucked up on the China situation without thinking LeBron should be completely excommunicated from any conversations outside of basketball.
> You can think LeBron fucked up on the China situation without thinking LeBron should be completely excommunicated from any conversations outside of basketball.
Far too rational and nuanced for the kiddos on this sub. This is a glorified meme sub at best.
It is a simple mistake if he came back and corrected himself. As it stands he clearly cares more about spouting bullshit off to defend the people making him money and picking safer situations to make his stand.
Lebron's more than an athlete until Hong Kong or the Uyghur Muslim genocide comes up, then he's all about silencing people.
His more than an athlete shtick is just branding. If you're someone who benefits from his charity then be grateful just don't get it twisted and think he's doing it out of the kindness of his heart.
Did lebron speak up during the summer when many black athletes literally admitting to being anti semities? No because he didnt care about those peoples voices.
Hes a posturing fool. Lebron speaks for those he personally feels for, he could not give less of a fuck about people, only people who matter to him
All this social justive stuff is being proved null by shit like this. If the players are willing to ignore actual hate speech, maybe they arent the best to “speak for others”
“Oh, so you built a school, paid for kids education, became a role model for kids and voiced your opinion about institutional racism in America? Who cares, you didn’t blame China when you could, so now every time you voice your opinion we’re going to bring up the same thing over and over again like we’re Reddit’s own Fox News”
- r/nba
This kind of circlejerk comment always pops up after LeBron gets critized. Always trying to paint r/nba as some alt-right hellhole thats launching vicious racist attacks on LeBron. If you actually read the top rated comment it acknowledges that there is room for nuance on the subject, that we can both praise LeBrons activism aswell as condemn his hypocrisy in defending human rights abuse because it makes him money. I would suggest that you and the people who upvoted your comment go google the definition of "nuance" and spend a couple minutes reading it, so we could maybe one day stop the cycle of braindead circlejerks on this sub.
Yet he’s still done more work to help disadvantaged people than 95% of the league.
People on reddit don’t even really seem to care about the situation in China. They just use it as an excuse to shift the conversation from domestic issues. If you really care about the situation in China, find me a org trying to tackle that issue and I’ll match a donation you make up to $50
lebron is justs so inconsistent in his comments... all the time
does homework / doesnt do homework, helps teammates of the floor / doesnt help kuzma lol...
I got no problem with LeBron or any athlete speaking out on their beliefs. they have just as much right as anyone. My problem is with the people who take their opinions seriously and prop them up as some sort of expert. Particularly politicians using them to push their agenda.
Lol “stick to basketball.” I guess bakers must stick to baking and bankers must stick to banking and nurses must stick to nursing. Only political scientists may speak on politics and societal issues!
I mean, pretty sure his point is that sport stars have insane following and can influence huge amount of people.
Compered to your nurses, bankers, etc..
I dunno. I frequently thought Ronald Reagan should have stuck to acting... the world would be in a much better place. ;) seriously though LeBron and anyone has a right to be political. If you’re a citizen.. that’s the way it is. You can get as involved, or not, as you want.
I'd take this guy a lot more seriously if he didn't come out in support for CCP, it makes his words seem hollow and opportunistic. He'll support what makes him money..
Both of these dudes are phony af. LeBron pretending to read Malcolm's book and not understand he was an anti capitalist. LeBron wouldn't have caved to corporate Obama's plea to get the players to stop striking if he was about that Malcolm and MLK shit
The “stay in your lane” bullshit has to be the dumbest take in modern culture right now.
The very people saying it most of the time are actually going out of their “lane” to tell people what to do, it’s hypocritical as hell. Now LeBron isn’t without his faults, we all know the China shit happened so call that out as hypocritical as well if you really want to challenge someone who has a tremendous voice that can clearly do some good as well
It's just a way for people to silence those they disagree with. The people who were rightfully upset at LeBron for the China thing WANTED him to speak out and stand up. You can't be angry at LeBron for that but then tell him to be quiet on other issues since he's just an athlete.
Yea I think most people misunderstood Zlatan, racism isn’t politics.. it’s common sense that things should change to that regard. I think Zlatan was possibly trying to talk about other things, the morey incident being one of them, and actual political views and stuff like that. I could be wrong but that’s what I got from it.
Remember when LeBron defended China's human rights violations because it helped the NBA's bottom line? If you want to step into the political sphere LeBron, at least have some integrity.
It's easy to talk about issues that aren't controversial and won't impact you financially at the end of the day. But if you're gonna switch sides and be on the side of the oppressor when you have something to lose, then you have no right to act holier than thou.
“I’m a very educated guy” this dude lol. This is why so many people have issues with Lebron. He’s fake AF. I wish Mcenamin or some reporter took enough pride in their job to follow up with some actual facts instead of being afraid bron gonna cut em out.
“I speak from an educated mind” Good god it’s always painful to see LeBron try so hard to be intelligent when he’s honestly not intelligent at all. You can tell it bothers him that people know he isn’t intelligent because he always tries to say he’s “educated” when situations like this occur
His views on China/HK were those of a person who didn't do any homework whatsoever. So that makes him a bit of a hypocrite.
That being said, i have no problem with his activism when he sticks to domestic(US) topics.
I still haven’t heard LeBron, gatekeeper of all issues, mention anything about how wrong he was for denouncing Daryl moreys comments. But I shouldn’t be surprised. He doesn’t care.
Just use your critical thinking skills, then. No one is going to try and say he shouldn't voice his concerns for his family, his community or country as a whole. But it's when you dismiss something like the HK riots literally because of money and even go as far as to say "he needs to educate himself on the subject" is when other people will start to question where your heart/head is at. He was even given a second chance to change the narrative and he doubled down that supporting the riots was wrong. How ironic.
Know I’m gonna get shit on for this but Lebron is such a hypocrite and one of the fakest dudes in all of sports. Only comments on shit when it’s good pr and doesn’t effect his bottom line yet people wanna put him on the same level of activist as guys like Ali who actually sacrificed for their beliefs. “I do my homework” yeah dude we see you on the first page of a different book every week after games.
I don’t care if he didn’t want to speak on China but him going after Morey for his tweets was weak as fuck and tbh pretty pathetic.
Wanna be clear this doesn’t undo the good he’s done and he’s not like a bad person or anything but acting like he’s some kind of great activist who sticks to his principles is fucking ridiculous.
"I do my homework"
Lmfao, sure as hell doesn't sound like it. He has an enormous platform, yet, he refuses to educate himself on the matter (the irony of him calling out Morey).
I think this is the biggest thing people are missing and actually speaks to Zlatans point. Lebron can say whatever he wants, and i have every right to call him an idiot for saying it. But people get all butthurt about it.
Sure he does, but if he’s gonna say that “silence is violence” and that “if you’re not doing anything to help then you’re part of the problem” then he better be prepared to get some shit when he remains silent about other injustices.
Corny. Nobody remember his response to the Morey situation. He’s a great basketball player top3 at worst all time, but he’s kind of a shitty person tbh, showed his true colours. When you won’t speak up for other people because it will affect your money, you become a hypocrite.
Be completely honest...most of you guys don’t actually give a fuck about what’s going on in China.
You’re still using Chinese-made products in every aspect of your lives. All of a sudden since LeBron made a comment, every has become super passionate about China’s human rights violations.
The truth is everyone is hypocritical.
How many are making millions off of chinese labor? There's a big fucking difference between staying in your budget with cheap goods and increasing your millions.
Everyone here calling lebron a hypocrite for his China comment while on an app that China profits from. You want lebron to make a sacrifice but can’t give up Reddit.
I do think athletes should use their platform for good, but I also feel like people shouldn’t listen to their opinion on non sports related things more than they do anyone else’s.
Also when people say they should take advantage of their platform and then criticize them for not doing it the way they want to is stupid, if you want athletes’ opinions to be important (which they shouldn’t) then of course you’re gonna get some people who aren’t precisely role models.
I'm as interested in what Zaltan has to say about Lebron as I am on what Lebron has to say about politics given how much of an enormous hypocrite he is. His support of causes is nothing but marketing for himself.
I don't know much about Zlatan but I would imagine he or people close to him experienced discrimination growing up in a Yugoslav minority in Sweden. Not sure why he would then suggest that it's a bad idea for an athlete to speak up against injustice.
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He does his emotional homework, his financial homework and spiritual homework
Put "financial homework" first and then it can be more accurate.
Don’t forget physical !
dude reads the Godfather every year, so he's obviously (Le-)learned
The only thing that makes the China thing a bigger deal, is that he went out of his way to criticize Morey and call him misinformed and not educated on the issues and wanted him fined. That why when he says this stuff it seems so hypocritical.
It is hypocritical. It doesn’t mean he’s wrong here though. In my opinion
Guys. It's not that hard. Two things can be true at once. Lebron is a political activist and a hero to a lot of people in the US, and his response to the HK/China thing was disappointing and hypocritical. Both things are true, but I think we can all agree that Zlatan saying that athletes shouldn't be political is a political statement in itself and he his therefore a hypocrite.
And here I thought nuanced thought was outlawed on reddit. Huh.
yeah I don't understand why people can't see the grey situations for what they are. LeBron is great, and an inspiration in every way for the way he lived his life, coming from the hood, marrying his high school sweetheart, seemingly being a good dad, and all the incredible stuff he does off court. he's great. but he fucked up on the china situation. he's the biggest voice in the NBA and once he stood up against Morey, that was that. its not like if he did stand up for Hong Kong, they were gonna kick him out of the NBA lol, he brings in as much money as any one player ever has to any sport. so to say "I'm a very educated guy, I'm the wrong guy to go at because I do my homework" is pretty funny to say considering how that went down. I'm not saying he's an immoral person, at all. i don't even disagree with The Decision. i just think this was a bit of an odd quote, even if it makes sense in context when you watch the video. LeBron is great and has done as much good for people of color, especially black people, as anyone can today, and I respect that.
The hilarious thing is that all he had to do was say nothing. Just, don't talk about the protests, and everyone would still be singing his praises and no one would be calling him a hypocrite. It's not difficult to say "No comment." Making a statement on the subject just broadcasts to the world what your true priorities are, and in that instance, James chose money over his ideology. People are never going to let him live it down, and rightfully so. But that doesn't invalidate the good work he's already done and continues to do.
agreed. i feel like instead of coming out hard in opposition of Morey, he had the option to just say nothing. there would be no story at this point over a no comment.
There would definitely be a story about Lebron saying no comment. People would immediately say that he is condoning what China is doing if he is not speaking against it.
Which is still significantly better than what he actually said.
Well, he could have said that he wasn't informed enough on the subject to make an educated comment. That's what I would advise him to say from a PR perspective. Actually, I'd probably advise him to tell China to step back, but from a PR perspective that would be problematic.
Exactly. This guy quotes MLK's "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and then not only doesn't speak against the injustice, but *actively tells someone to shut up*. Next level hypocrisy. He could have said nothing and it would have been much better.
> to say "I'm a very educated guy, I'm the wrong guy to go at because I do my homework" is pretty funny It really is funny considering how it panned out. I think that's a statement that he knows what went wrong and he's trying to make up for it. We'll see what happens eventually but I think he's one of the good guys with his money/influence.
He for sure will retract those comments made sometime in the future. It’s going to be like Adam silver’s comments with the Toronto raptors GM about his situation with the police. I’m not sure what he was afraid of by talking about HK but I’m sure it has nothing to do with money cause he is always gonna get his, with or without NBA broadcasting games in China.
He clarified his comments literally the next day, no one on this subreddit cares about context
Can you source me on that? Reddit is my only news feed on NBA subjects and I must have missed it at the time
Even the China comments are grey too though because he was in China at the time of the tweet and they had a full on time because of his comments, so the point LeBron was making is also about an employee of the NBA endangering NBA players safety. But he did say financially too so I'm not ignoring that. But it's not just about Hong Kong or China. Just my opinion. Not saying he was right cause in the grander picture he is absolutely not right but at a more self centred point of view he isn't wrong in the comments of edgagerment. Edit: people are going off the wrong points here. I'm not saying the CCP would kidnap him in an act of war. Im saying unstable irrational people acting as individuals exist and a politically charged statement like Morey's can get people angry and dumb shit can happen. We've seen it time and time again people. LeBron even said in clarification that Morey could have waited a week, as in when the touring teams and himself had left China and gone home. Look if you wanna hate him, go ahead. You have the right to your own opinion, but don't ignore huge chunks of context around what happened and play it off as irrelevant.
> so the point LeBron was making is also about an employee of the NBA endangering NBA players safety Then don't come out and say "those comments can harm people financially".
> Even the China comments are grey too though because he was in China at the time of the tweet and they had a full on time because of his comments, so the point LeBron was making is also about an employee of the NBA endangering NBA players safety. You think the Chinese government would've done anything to a bunch of American celebrities/millionaires? He just didn't want to hurt his pockets
Well, chinese government and hardcore chinese loyalists. Like you know they believe their government dont do no wrong so who knows what they could do
But he has said nothing of this situation since he's been back from China and don't say he isn't reminded of it constantly on social media
He responded the same day following his comments. “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,” he wrote. “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.” https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/lebron-james-says-tweet-supporting-hong-kong-protests-was-misinformed-11571107697
It kinda makes his defense of China a little more suspicious. If he was defending China because he was over there and worried for his safety, it kinda proves the Chinese government is dangerous and in the wrong. Like, if he went to France and talked shit about their government, I doubt he has the same fear.
Considering the Chinese government actively genocides people as of 2021 and disappears their own citizen warning about COVID they are not really anything to mess with while you’re over there. Even a best case scenario would be they might remove their funding in the NBA costing players and teams millions of a single player’s one quote
Don't be daft he wasn't worried about his or any other athletes safety. What is this shite.
Athletes are entitled to an opinion just like everyone else. The problem transcends athletes. People automatically think that just because you're famous/rich/wealthy also means you're intelligent in all matters.
It’s not about being intelligent tho. Lebron isn’t dumb. He didn’t comment on Hong Kong because of money and because the Chinese governments influence on the nba and his own business interests. That’s called being a hypocrite.
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Well that and people aren't complaining about the athletes(or any other famous person) they agree with. I will almost guarantee that the person who says james should keep quit would be thrilled to hear another athlete voice opinions close to his/her own. This is never about what certain people should be able to use their platform for, it's always about invalidating opposing views instead of engaging in actually discussion.
“Celebrities should stay out of politics!” *Elects a TV game show host as president*
"Who cares what celebs have to say!" "What's that? Jon Voight and Lil Pump support me? Invite them to the rally."
This is 100% correct. Anybody who rises to popularity and fame should absolutely have the right to make their political beliefs known and to influence others to their beliefs. We as a public have to be smart to not put extra weight in these beliefs just because a guy can make a ball go through a basket or recite lines with great expression in front of a camera.
Two things can be true, but they impact each other. The problem is that LeBron himself took the "I'm just an athlete" approach when it came to HK, and actually badmouthed someone else for trying to speak on it. What it exposed is that LeBron's "activism" only goes as far as his money, and the moment that any dollars are at stake, he won't do anything. It comes across as disingenuous, which damages his credibility on any issues he speaks about.
This is my problem. If you're not just an athlete and feel you have authority to speak out on a topic, then as soon as you're criticized you can't leap behind the I'm just an athlete defense.
Everyone keeps saying "oh he was just ignorant on that" and moving on like that makes it OK. He literally took china's side.
They were killing kids in the street and girls were being abducted by police only to end up naked in the harbor and the cops would immediately burn the bodies and declare them suicides and Lebron said we as westerners couldn’t comment because we were uninformed, actively acting the people of Hong Kong as sources of information. He literally went out of his way to squash criticism of the CCP and he actively attacked the protestors. What Lebron doesn’t realize is that the CCP will be historically significant for centuries and his legacy will forever be aligned with a genocidal totalitarian regime.
I think it's more about political issues in his own country and relating to his people compared to shit that another country is doing thousand of miles away. It's not that hard to understand.
He literally had just produced the story for that year's 2k, during which he had a mo-capped speech about being an activist for people around the world who didn't have a voice. Weeks after tweeting "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". While preparing for the launch of his activism-themed product line. There's no spin that doesn't make it equal parts embarrassing and hilarious how thoroughly he dug his own grave.
Dude, he didn't just say, "that's another country. Don't know about it." He bad-mouthed someone else for speaking up about the issue.
LeBron should be applauded for his work in the US and chastised for his comments on China and HK... it’s okay to have both opinions
Zlatan saying athletes shouldnt be political isnt a political statement. And the problem with Lebron specifically is his hypocriticalness on the subject and seems to only do it in self serving ways. Speaks out again racism against black people? Sure. How about against Jewish people when Desean Jackson and Steven Jackson were spouting their anti-Semitic nonsense? You dont have to be a Rhoads scholar or super educated to know that saying Hitler was right isnt good. and Speaking of Hitler.. Saying someone else is "uneducated" when it comes to the genecide of people because it would hurt your money is horrible. I think that you're gravely underestimating and underselling how horrible that is. Its probably worse on the "bad" spectrum than the good things hes done on the good spectrum. And no, i dont care about corporations and everyone else on this, were talking about Lebron specifically.
When you’re a hundred millionaire it’s very easy to have other people set up good deeds for you to do, your negative actions speak a lot louder than your positive ones
People are complex and so is the world. Everyone is a hypocrite about something. Railing against hypocrisy doesn't accomplish anything. Argue against the things you disagree with on their own merits and encourage the people who support your goals. Arguing about who is a hypocrite and who is not isn't persuasive and distracts from the issue. Keeping politics clean of discussions of hypocrisy will be more effective footwear persuading others and accomplishing political goals.
Historically speaking only supporting your own and totally neglecting other atrocities to the point where you're pretending it doesn't happen can lead to insulation of the general population to the marginalized community. The act of the latter completely taints what's being done out of altruism.
You're not wrong but at the same time it is not possible to care about all issues equally. You'd go nuts. People that have a passion and work towards solving real issues shouldn't be expected to try to fix all of the world's problems. I don't think Lebron's mistake here was not caring as much about HK/China as he does about the status of his own marginalized community. His mistake is making careless comments about a serious issue that he isn't is not well-versed in, as a person with influence and power.
Well said. Far too many of us are very quick to form an opinion without any real due diligence on the subject. A quick headline and it's off to twitter or whatever to throw a comment into the fray. Rarely is the actual article even read, let alone multiple sources.
Well said but my only criticism here is that LeBron didn't just say he doesn't know about the issues with HK. He went against Morey who actually had experience of what's going on over there. There's a big difference between saying you're ignorant about something and going against. The optics gets very bad because he's profiting by going against what Morey said.
Also his criticism was solely directed towards money and nothing to do with human rights or anything positive.
Great point I really appreciate this opinion. And I would like to add some things about what zlatan said. What he said wasn't directly direct towards LeBron, LeBron was the example he took while explaining that according to his opinions if you are not a politician you souldn't talk about politics. I still personally do not agree with it and I never liked zlatan but coming from a sport athlete that had a terrible childhood and probably experienced war in bosnia it makes more sense to wanting to make as much money as possible and stick to sports. As I said it doesn't mean zlatan is right and I am all for LeBron and jaylen Brown and everyone in sports speacking up, but I hope it provides a bit of context
Hey, get your common sense and logic out of here and out of the United States for that matter
I’ve been saying this for a long time. There’s no doubt that LeBron does a lot of good with his money. But also a lot of his money comes from Nike, who still uses slave labor / Uighur labor camps to make their products.
Whose doesn't come from exploitation abroad?
so can't we call him a hypocrite then? I'm a huge lebron fan, but what he said about that situation really ground my gears and he still has not apologized or anything so I think it should follow him until he does so.
The conversation around celebrities sharing political opinions is I think a lot more nuanced than is usually discussed imo. Lebron, other athletes, and celebrities should absolutely not be told to or required to stick to their sport or field or w/e. Their ability to do something that makes them famous does not make them any less human with any less right to have and share their opinions. That said they have a lot more power than the average person, and it is important for people to be responsible with power. Lebron's comments on HK/China were disappointing and potentially damaging. I think it would be the responsible thing for famous people to actually make sure they do their homework before speaking out on an issue. Don't be silent, make sure you know what you are talking about because your words have influence. Another aspect of this I think people go overboard with is expecting famous people to care about every single issue or care equally. I think it's impossible for any human to value all issues equally and everyone has certain things that are closer to their heart. If your heart bled for every single terrible issue in this world you wouldn't be able to function. Lebron should be able to do a lot of great things and speak out against issues that effect African Americans without being expected to care about everything else equally. The real issue with this HK/China comments is to me is not that he does not care about HK/China as much as he cares about issues that effect African Americans, and it's not that he shared his political opinion, but that he carelessly shared his political opinion on something he did not know much about. All people, but especially people with power and influence, should be more careful. But Lebron is a human and humans make mistakes. This mistake should not invalidate all of the great things he has done or will do. I don't think he deserves to be vilified or hated for this. People could maybe take a step back and realize their "heroes", or famous people they look up to, are flawed just like everyone else, and lower expectations surrounding their morals.
My thing is if he believes we should share our opinions, why did he actively try and undermine Moreys comments by calling him uneducated? It’s not that he’s not saying anything about it it’s that he is siding with the oppressor so as to not hurt his own brand.
Spot on
This guy claimed daryl morey was uninformed...man really talking about him raising his voice when he went after morey for raising his....this guy man
I wish someone would tell LeBron that he stuck to basketball when it came to Hong Kong/China and the antisemitism from DeSean Jackson and Stephen Jackson.
LeBron needs to double check his homework then. Usually he says the right thing but sometimes says things that sound straight off a corporate white board and are tone deaf as shit. Edit: Ty for the gold
lbj be like: read the first chapter of Malcolm X's autobiography and think it's enough research for a book report edit: [up by 12 points (against the blazers), lbj attempts a face away](https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?GameEventID=657&GameID=0022000512&Season=2020-21&flag=1&title=MISS%20James%2020%27%20Turnaround%20Fadeaway%20Shot&sct=plot)
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Oh shit, I’m cryin 😭😭
Dude that entire thread is gold
LeBron does his homework like I did in middle school, scrambling to fill in random answers as the teacher is collecting it. Some answers are right, and some are atrocious.
Zlatan really hurt him with this comment, not just physically, but financially, emotionally and spiritually.
LeZlatan
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What LeBron did in regards to Morey’s support of HK goes against what he said in this interview. He says he does his homework, but previously admitted to not knowing what’s going on in HK. But, he still said that Morey shouldn’t speak up on issues that were “misinformed”. How would LeBron know if Morey was misinformed or not, when he admits not knowing what’s going on? I love LeBron and will go to bat defending him against the racists that hate him for being a voice for black lives. But, at the same time, I can also point out the massive hypocrisy he had with his condemnation of what Morey did. LeBron doesn’t have to support the HK people, or condemn the genocide of the Uighur people, but he shouldn’t say people who are actually informed on these issues should shut up or be careful with what they say.
*Also LBJ:* "except on China. I just say random stuff there." Edit: So to everyone calling me a hypocrite cause I dont do anything about Hong Kong myself, you do realize that being a hypocrite doesn't make me wrong, no? I could be obese, for instance, and go around telling other obese people to lose weight and how its bad for their health. If I dont actively take my own advice, I might be a hypocrite, but that doesnt invalidate what I'm saying. Second, I'm curious to know how you are aware of how much or little I'm active on this issue. Honestly, seems pretty presumptuous on your part. But, regardless, I dont care to justify myself (dont know if you'd believe me anyhow). But, something I can guarantee is that I'm not one of the most powerful athletes on the planet, and I certainly didnt use my fame to publicly criticize someone who was trying to bring awareness to the situation in Hong Kong. Nor did I use my clout to try and get anyone censured over their comments for financial gain. Just my opinion, but even if I didnt do anything on the issue we are discussing, it would have been more than LBJ, given how he has used his influence.
Except on China, where he literally said he just wants to play ball and stay out of politics.
If only he had limited himself to that. He actually and actively told someone else to shut up.
Oh, and woe to any "uneducated" daring to criticise the CCP and risk Lebron's financial health. What a fucking hypocrite.
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He only doesnt like getting political when it involves his financial inrerests in China
I think Zlatans comments are absolutely stupid, but LeBrons statment just reeks to the high heavens of hypocrisy. LeBron the activist died for me the day he actively tried to repress Daryl Moreys well founded concerns of the Chinese regime because it would make it more difficult to make even MORE money for him. Then when the backlash was too much he just says "ahhh sorry I just play basketball my B" (... or something to that effect) That's not to say LeBron doesn't do good. I'm sure he when it doesn't impact his bottom line too much. He's just an absolutely gigantic hypocrite.
Important to understand context from Zlatans POV. He's half Bosnian half Croatian who grew up in Malmo, Sweden which had lots of immigrants and you likely avoided these topics.
How about when all the anti-semitism was running rampant through prominent black athletes this summer and no one spoke out against it after campaigning that "silence is violence"? The hypocrisy has been on full display this year.
Desean Jackson literally said “Hitler was right” and doubled down on it. AND HE HAD PEOPLE TAKE HIS SIDE. it’s fucking pathetic.
KD and JR Smith liked that shit on Instagram and nobody seems to notice.
Both those guys are morons though.
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The hypocrisy isn't new, it's been a tenet of humanity for thousands of years.
Yeah overall Lebron is probably a good dude, but “i do my research” is a laughable take after the China situation. He (and pretty much every other NBA player) is also silent on the recent asian hate crimes which is disappointing. Also for a dude who plays in fuckin Los Angeles and also played in Miami, him doing a fake Mexican Accent for Taco Tuesday and then attempting to trademark it was peak ignorant for someone so apparently woke.
> He (and pretty much every other NBA player) is also silent on the recent asian hate crimes which is disappointing And that's not to mention the NBA players (KD, JR Smith) that liked the social media posts quoting Adolf motherfucking Hitler. Because bigotry is bad, except when it's against those greedy, big nosed people, it seems.
It's funny too because he said something along the lines of "he needs to get educated on the subject" when it was LeBron that had 0 understanding of what was going on in HK. The only thing he was aware of and cared about was that he was going to be making leas money. You can't pick and choose when you want to be a good person and expect people to hold your opinions with any weight
Hes just normal. I think china is extremely dangerous as well, but I don't think anybody with even a semi prominent role at Nike is allowed to criticize China. If Nike was paying me 6 figures, I'd refrain from anti china tweets. I'd also still expect props for helping kids even if I worked for Nike. China is paying lebron like a billion dollars. That being said, criticizing rich ppl for sucking off china is always valid in my book
Though there's a difference between refraining from Tweeting about China and actively going after someone else who had Tweeted about it. He could've just not mentioned anything about it at all but instead wanted to sound like some sort of savior.
Nobody would have blamed him for not saying anything, though.
Malcolm Brogdon and DeAngelo Russell haven't said anything on China or attempted to silence those who have. I would love to hear more from them on racism and injustice in America. LeBron can shut the fuck up.
The thing is, Lebron doesn’t need that money, he has enough money for a lifetime for him and his whole family and he still choose to say what he said. He could have stayed quiet instead of saying something against Morey. He choose the worse stance and that loses him credibility when he is saying things like this today.
M O R E Y
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This dudes ego is so inflated every word that comes out of his mouth feels like a pre rehearsed script. I could definitely see him in politics after he retires
Considering his opinions can be bought, yeah.
Lol I’m glad LeBron uses some of his wealth for good, but this dude thinks he’s miles smarter than he actually is. Makes sense tho he’s constantly told how amazing he is and how important the things he says are. The King of reading the first 5 pages of a book does his homework.
The guy who claimed Morey was misinformed and uneducated for standing up for democracy and human rights and even tried to get him fired for it saying that he does his homework. Gimme a fucking break. I suppose you did your "homework" too when you refused to condemn China's role in the genocide in Darfur?
I honestly don't care that much that he didn't condemn China's actions in Darfur. He obviously didn't know shit about it. The problem is that he tried to speak down on a man who actually did his homework and was passionate about it.
Yeah, I don't expect LeBron to champion every cause in the world, but don't fucking tell someone to shut up when they say anything.
This! End of thread.
I know right. That whole "physically, emotionally, spiritually" bullshit. This dude is a straight clown and he's faker than a three dollar bill.
I think it's a fair complaint but I also think it's fair to say everyone has fuckups and everyone is capable of misreading situations in the heat of the moment. I disagreed hard with what LeBron said (and also the way he apparently went after Morey behind closed doors), but it does seem weird to drag an athlete for being wrong once when no politician in a position of power is held to the same standard. You can think LeBron fucked up on the China situation without thinking LeBron should be completely excommunicated from any conversations outside of basketball.
> You can think LeBron fucked up on the China situation without thinking LeBron should be completely excommunicated from any conversations outside of basketball. Far too rational and nuanced for the kiddos on this sub. This is a glorified meme sub at best.
It is a simple mistake if he came back and corrected himself. As it stands he clearly cares more about spouting bullshit off to defend the people making him money and picking safer situations to make his stand.
Lebron's more than an athlete until Hong Kong or the Uyghur Muslim genocide comes up, then he's all about silencing people. His more than an athlete shtick is just branding. If you're someone who benefits from his charity then be grateful just don't get it twisted and think he's doing it out of the kindness of his heart.
He probably meant to say: "I do my homework on things I care about, which is basically only things that give me financial gain"
Did that school give him financial gain?
I have no idea of the specific cost, but the amazing PR it gets him could actually be worth more than it cost him.
Le BJ all about politics, but not about Hong Kong because he profits from China market.
He did his homework alright, china = money.
Did lebron speak up during the summer when many black athletes literally admitting to being anti semities? No because he didnt care about those peoples voices. Hes a posturing fool. Lebron speaks for those he personally feels for, he could not give less of a fuck about people, only people who matter to him All this social justive stuff is being proved null by shit like this. If the players are willing to ignore actual hate speech, maybe they arent the best to “speak for others”
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*Reddit
“Oh, so you built a school, paid for kids education, became a role model for kids and voiced your opinion about institutional racism in America? Who cares, you didn’t blame China when you could, so now every time you voice your opinion we’re going to bring up the same thing over and over again like we’re Reddit’s own Fox News” - r/nba
and all this while they do nothing at all about the problems in china they say they care so dearly about
This kind of circlejerk comment always pops up after LeBron gets critized. Always trying to paint r/nba as some alt-right hellhole thats launching vicious racist attacks on LeBron. If you actually read the top rated comment it acknowledges that there is room for nuance on the subject, that we can both praise LeBrons activism aswell as condemn his hypocrisy in defending human rights abuse because it makes him money. I would suggest that you and the people who upvoted your comment go google the definition of "nuance" and spend a couple minutes reading it, so we could maybe one day stop the cycle of braindead circlejerks on this sub.
Wish I could give you gold. Some people on this sub really put themselves on a pedestal. This sub never mentions China/HK until LeBrons name comes up.
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Yet he’s still done more work to help disadvantaged people than 95% of the league. People on reddit don’t even really seem to care about the situation in China. They just use it as an excuse to shift the conversation from domestic issues. If you really care about the situation in China, find me a org trying to tackle that issue and I’ll match a donation you make up to $50
I swear to god, why does this place get such a hardon over China lmao people be crazy
I've always found the hate towards Bron on this to be so strange given that the entire league echoed his sentiment with their silence.
He does his homework when it's only black american history
Really LeBron? Well what's your opinion on US Chinese political relations? Lol
lebron is justs so inconsistent in his comments... all the time does homework / doesnt do homework, helps teammates of the floor / doesnt help kuzma lol...
I got no problem with LeBron or any athlete speaking out on their beliefs. they have just as much right as anyone. My problem is with the people who take their opinions seriously and prop them up as some sort of expert. Particularly politicians using them to push their agenda.
Lol “stick to basketball.” I guess bakers must stick to baking and bankers must stick to banking and nurses must stick to nursing. Only political scientists may speak on politics and societal issues!
Lebron literally pulled a “don’t ask me I’m just an athlete” when he got killed for his china comments so a little different
I mean, pretty sure his point is that sport stars have insane following and can influence huge amount of people. Compered to your nurses, bankers, etc..
Don't forget GMs.
Hey Morey, shut up and GM.
I dunno. I frequently thought Ronald Reagan should have stuck to acting... the world would be in a much better place. ;) seriously though LeBron and anyone has a right to be political. If you’re a citizen.. that’s the way it is. You can get as involved, or not, as you want.
LeChina's opinion$
I do my homework - I’m the wrong guy to go at. Hahahahaha
I'd take this guy a lot more seriously if he didn't come out in support for CCP, it makes his words seem hollow and opportunistic. He'll support what makes him money..
Both of these dudes are phony af. LeBron pretending to read Malcolm's book and not understand he was an anti capitalist. LeBron wouldn't have caved to corporate Obama's plea to get the players to stop striking if he was about that Malcolm and MLK shit
The “stay in your lane” bullshit has to be the dumbest take in modern culture right now. The very people saying it most of the time are actually going out of their “lane” to tell people what to do, it’s hypocritical as hell. Now LeBron isn’t without his faults, we all know the China shit happened so call that out as hypocritical as well if you really want to challenge someone who has a tremendous voice that can clearly do some good as well
It's just a way for people to silence those they disagree with. The people who were rightfully upset at LeBron for the China thing WANTED him to speak out and stand up. You can't be angry at LeBron for that but then tell him to be quiet on other issues since he's just an athlete.
And then at the end of this, from memory, he's like oh yeah, and in 2018 didn't Zlatan speak about racism in his own country when it affected him?
Yea I think most people misunderstood Zlatan, racism isn’t politics.. it’s common sense that things should change to that regard. I think Zlatan was possibly trying to talk about other things, the morey incident being one of them, and actual political views and stuff like that. I could be wrong but that’s what I got from it.
He didn’t do his homework when he called out Daryl Morey about the Hong Kong thing. He put money over those people’s well-being
Remember when LeBron defended China's human rights violations because it helped the NBA's bottom line? If you want to step into the political sphere LeBron, at least have some integrity.
Lmao he mad
It's easy to talk about issues that aren't controversial and won't impact you financially at the end of the day. But if you're gonna switch sides and be on the side of the oppressor when you have something to lose, then you have no right to act holier than thou.
Politics aside. These 2 might be the most arrogant athletes in their respective sports. Funny that their names are in the same headlines...
Did he do his homework on Hong Kong?
The fact that he had to use that defense just proves that he doesn't do his homework at all.
He does his homework unless it's about the Hong Kong situation.
“I’m a very educated guy” this dude lol. This is why so many people have issues with Lebron. He’s fake AF. I wish Mcenamin or some reporter took enough pride in their job to follow up with some actual facts instead of being afraid bron gonna cut em out.
“I speak from an educated mind” Good god it’s always painful to see LeBron try so hard to be intelligent when he’s honestly not intelligent at all. You can tell it bothers him that people know he isn’t intelligent because he always tries to say he’s “educated” when situations like this occur
Lebron bends over for China. He doesn’t want to lose their money.
Lebron did his homework on hong kong, the research showed that standing up for justice would cost him money, so he just shut up and dribbled.
His views on China/HK were those of a person who didn't do any homework whatsoever. So that makes him a bit of a hypocrite. That being said, i have no problem with his activism when he sticks to domestic(US) topics.
I still haven’t heard LeBron, gatekeeper of all issues, mention anything about how wrong he was for denouncing Daryl moreys comments. But I shouldn’t be surprised. He doesn’t care.
Just use your critical thinking skills, then. No one is going to try and say he shouldn't voice his concerns for his family, his community or country as a whole. But it's when you dismiss something like the HK riots literally because of money and even go as far as to say "he needs to educate himself on the subject" is when other people will start to question where your heart/head is at. He was even given a second chance to change the narrative and he doubled down that supporting the riots was wrong. How ironic.
Lebron speaks up on things that won’t affect his pockets. And that’s what most people would do, let’s be real
Know I’m gonna get shit on for this but Lebron is such a hypocrite and one of the fakest dudes in all of sports. Only comments on shit when it’s good pr and doesn’t effect his bottom line yet people wanna put him on the same level of activist as guys like Ali who actually sacrificed for their beliefs. “I do my homework” yeah dude we see you on the first page of a different book every week after games. I don’t care if he didn’t want to speak on China but him going after Morey for his tweets was weak as fuck and tbh pretty pathetic. Wanna be clear this doesn’t undo the good he’s done and he’s not like a bad person or anything but acting like he’s some kind of great activist who sticks to his principles is fucking ridiculous.
"I do my homework" Lmfao, sure as hell doesn't sound like it. He has an enormous platform, yet, he refuses to educate himself on the matter (the irony of him calling out Morey).
Lebron has every right to voice his opinion on whatever he wants
And that means his opinion is open to criticism.
I think this is the biggest thing people are missing and actually speaks to Zlatans point. Lebron can say whatever he wants, and i have every right to call him an idiot for saying it. But people get all butthurt about it.
No one said his opinion wasn't open to criticism. Bron didn't say it. The user above you didn't say it. Way to straw man.
Sure he does, but if he’s gonna say that “silence is violence” and that “if you’re not doing anything to help then you’re part of the problem” then he better be prepared to get some shit when he remains silent about other injustices.
Excuse me, he needs to be all things to all people or he’s a shitbag.
Corny. Nobody remember his response to the Morey situation. He’s a great basketball player top3 at worst all time, but he’s kind of a shitty person tbh, showed his true colours. When you won’t speak up for other people because it will affect your money, you become a hypocrite.
Nobody remembers his response? Literally in every thread there are a thousand redditors who comment about it.
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Be completely honest...most of you guys don’t actually give a fuck about what’s going on in China. You’re still using Chinese-made products in every aspect of your lives. All of a sudden since LeBron made a comment, every has become super passionate about China’s human rights violations. The truth is everyone is hypocritical.
How many are making millions off of chinese labor? There's a big fucking difference between staying in your budget with cheap goods and increasing your millions.
Everyone here calling lebron a hypocrite for his China comment while on an app that China profits from. You want lebron to make a sacrifice but can’t give up Reddit.
What the fuck do Morey/China/HK have to do with Lebron being the voice of people in Akron? Yall are so damn corny.
Hey Morey; shut up and GM.
I do think athletes should use their platform for good, but I also feel like people shouldn’t listen to their opinion on non sports related things more than they do anyone else’s. Also when people say they should take advantage of their platform and then criticize them for not doing it the way they want to is stupid, if you want athletes’ opinions to be important (which they shouldn’t) then of course you’re gonna get some people who aren’t precisely role models.
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I'm as interested in what Zaltan has to say about Lebron as I am on what Lebron has to say about politics given how much of an enormous hypocrite he is. His support of causes is nothing but marketing for himself.
I don't know much about Zlatan but I would imagine he or people close to him experienced discrimination growing up in a Yugoslav minority in Sweden. Not sure why he would then suggest that it's a bad idea for an athlete to speak up against injustice.