Times of great upheaval can sometimes create unlikely alliances and that’s exactly what we had play out on social media on Sunday afternoon, involving Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and ESPN’s star NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
News broke on Saturday night that Woj was suspended by ESPN for one week without pay after he sent a “[EXPLETIVE] you” message to Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. The suspension drew an outcry from NBA fans and NBA players on twitter, getting the hashtag #FreeWoj trending. On Sunday afternoon, LeBron James picked up the hashtag to show support for Woj. LeBron, like many in the NBA community, believes Woj shouldn’t be punished for his statement, given that it seemed the senator was coming at him and the league in bad faith.
The suspension of Woj wasn’t popular on social media and among NBA players, who expressed their support. Now that LeBron has aligned with Woj, it might put a little bit more pressure on ESPN than the regular twitter mob would.
