LeBron James responded to questions regarding China and protestors in Hong Kong burning his jersey and cursing his name at Tuesday’s practice for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he said that out of respect for his teammates and their goal of winning a championship, that he will no longer speak on the NBA’s current geopolitical imbroglio with China.
Here’s what James told reporters yesterday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“I plan on being here and being a captain of this team and trying to figure out how we can win a championship,” James said when asked whether he plans to learn more about the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. “That’s my main goal right now. I feel like I talked about it yesterday. I tweeted out responses to people not understanding my knowledge and where it came from with my brain and learning from the situation. I’m talking about it now. I won’t talk about it again.
“I’d be cheating my teammates by continuing to harp on something that won’t benefit us. We’re trying to win a championship. That’s what we’re here for. We’re not politicians. It’s a huge political thing. But we are leaders and we can step up at times. I’m not saying at this particular time, but if you don’t feel like you should speak on things, you shouldn’t have to.”
Obviously by seeing his comments above, it’s clear that LeBron would prefer that the China story blow over. However his comments on Monday, despite his many clarifications, added a little bit more fuel to a story that appeared to be dying down.
But at the same time, LeBron and the Lakers mercifully get back to doing what they do by getting back to playing basketball and preparing for the regular season, which is set to begin on Oct. 22 when they play against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
