LeBron James sparked an uproar last week when his first public remarks on the Daryl Morey-China-NBA saga were made to criticize the Rockets general manager for his pro-Hong Kong tweet.
The weak response, which LeBron attempted to clarify, was seen by many as James refusing to stand up to China — valuing profit over human rights. LeBron was subsequently the target of protests in Hong Kong and mocked in a recent South Park episode. And now, LeBron’s China remarks has been memorialized on a wall in Melbourne, Australia.
Prominent Australian muralist, known as Lushsux, responded to LeBron’s comments by painting a spoofed portrait of the Lakers star alongside a Winnie-the-Pooh version of Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Lushsux wrote during preparations of the mural:
Should I paint a Lebron Mural glorifying this hero of the glorious Chinese communist party?
LeBron, who has lucrative ties to China with Nike, would later defend his remarks at a Lakers practice. He said:
“I also don’t think every issue should be everybody’s problem.”
He added that he would stop talking about the issue going forward.
