Daryl Morey and China

[thunderc]

Now would be a good time for a non Nike athlete to speak out.

 

[CaptainStubing]

Well LeBron certainly stepped in it. They should all probably just shut up at this point

 

[bksballer89]

Great read

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

View attachment 219868

Basically sums up my feeling on things.

 

[podsox]

 

[Heatles84]

There is a lot more to this than just the human rights thing. This is also a Nike thing, which is its own human rights issue. I knew it was just a matter of time til he and others showed massive hypocrisy on this.

In the end, it's all about brand and money with these guys. Going against China would cost the NBA millions and that doesn't help out the players, so they keep their mouth shut.

 

[The Q]

Did y’all considered that these players weren’t educated on the stuff that was going on? No one is obligated to speak on another country anyway.

I’m fine with what Kerr said. He’s not educated enough about what goes on here. He should follow his own advice for domestic affairs

 

[raptorlife4]

LeBron is an idiot

 

[trojanfan12]

Sad thing was he went on twitter afterwards to basically double down on his comments.

Just awful

Yeah, I get what Lebron was trying to say, or at least I think I do. I don't think he was trying to support the Chinese government or that he doesn't care about what's happening in Hong Kong.

I think he was trying to say that Morey's tweet potentially cost the NBA and several players and former players a lot of money. But there really isn't a way to do that without sounding like he doesn't care about what's happening in Hong Kong.

He is right in saying that Morey could have waited a week, but ultimately, if he had to say something, he should have just said something along the lines of what Dan Patrick suggested this morning which was basically "I support freedom" and left it at that.

 

[Superbelt]

C.R.E.A.M. James is a punk ass bitch.

 

[trojanfan12]

No, his point about waiting a week to put the tweet out, was about the players being in China and their safety. It’s a reason why reports came out last week that the players felt very uncomfortable being in China while all this was going on. That’s why a lot of people believed that the NBA should’ve got them players out of there.

The players were never in any danger. The Chinese government may be a dictatorship, but they aren't stupid. If they went around and rounded up a bunch of NBA players over there on a "goodwill tour", the blowback from the entire rest of the world would have been pretty severe. That's why they chose to try to censor them by not broadcasting the games or allowing interviews.

The reason for Morey to wait a week is simple, the players and league would have already been there and left with the money they were making from playing there.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Great read

Opinion: LeBron James undermines values he's espoused in most disgraceful moment of career

 

[WiggyRuss]

Right on, LeBron. Millions in Hong Kong are fearful that their entire way of life is about to change, and thousands upon thousands of protesters are risking their lives to make a stand for their freedom and their future. Why would Morey think about them when your preseason vacation and your bank account is at stake? How selfish of him.

If only Morey had done what you did Monday, LeBron, and tacitly admit that the only thing that really matters is your ability to sell shoes and market "Space Jam 2" in a country of 1.4 billion, we could have had an intellectually honest discussion about doing business in China and the cost of free speech in a country where only propaganda is tolerated....

Maybe you don’t know it, but your news conference on Monday night played right into the hands of Chinese government propaganda and undermined the values you espouse in other facets of your life and public persona.

Surely you are aware of this, LeBron, but in the United States it’s considered a good thing to exercise your freedom of expression in support of a just cause because you’ve done that yourself on numerous occasions.

Not supporting other Americans who exercise that same freedom because it might personally inconvenience you for a few days overseas, LeBron, is without question the most disgraceful moment of your career.

Opinion: LeBron James undermines values he's espoused in most disgraceful moment of career

 

[trojanfan12]

It’s funny how some, not all, are using this to discredit everything Lebron have been speaking on.

He might’ve been ignorant on this situation, but it don’t take away from anything he said in the past.

Actually, it does take away from what he has said in the past.

It is said that we can tell how deep someone's convictions/beliefs run by how they respond when it affects their bottom line.

I don't agree with Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem and I didn't agree with Muhamad Ali refusing induction into the military.

But I respect them both for what they were willing to lose for their beliefs.

Imo, what Lebron said shows that he's more interested in his bottom line than his beliefs.

There's nothing wrong with that. But if that's the case, then follow Michael Jordan's example and stay the hell out of political issues.

 

[WiggyRuss]

LeBron is an idiot

he effectively destroyed any credibility he has speaking out on social issues. He loves to speak out if it personally benefits him.

It was the same way with coming back to Cleveland.

LeBron came back for himself- for his legacy- not because he felt any kind of loyalty or sincerity. It was good for his brand to come back and win a title - and when it became good for his brand to move on- he moved on.

its fine- he acted in self interest- its what we should expect- but for him to try and frame it as anything else more than self interest is just total and complete bullshit.

LeBron has and always will act in a calculated way to support his own self interest - and thats fine- its just revolting when he tries to frame it any other way.

 

[trojanfan12]

lol

Remember when everyone got so worked up over "Shut up and dribble"?

That seems like some really good advice right about now.

 

[CitySushi]

This China situation is legit the only complaint I've ever had about Lebron. It's disgraceful. If Curry did the same thing, I'd call him out too. If you're going to speak out, at least do so with some fucking dignity. If you choose not to speak out, that silence is glaring, but at the very least you're not undermining the situation for profit. It's pathetic.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

The funniest thing about this is all these people in the media calling Lebron a hypocrite, but they won’t speak on certain things due to the interest of their business and job.

 

[CitySushi]

Now would be a good time for a non Nike athlete to speak out.

I'm legitimately curious as to what Curry (Under Armour) and Klay (Anta) have to say on this after Lebron just punted everything for cash. My guess is that silence is probably the best way to go on this. But we'll see.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

I don’t care how bad Lebron messed up this situation, this don’t take away from anything he said about this country, even though people are trying hard to.