LeBron James did not pen a controversial essay in China's state-run People's Daily newspaper, according to a report from The Athletic.
James, who visited Chengdu and Shanghai this summer as a signature Nike athlete, has received criticism in the U.S. and Hong Kong for allegedly writing that he was grateful for the enthusiasm and kindness of his Chinese "friends" and that he hoped to "contribute to the development of Chinese basketball."
Reuters reported James' essay could mean the NBA's "years-long row with Beijing could be coming to an end."
Via The Athletic:
Despite James' name being attached to the story, two sources close to James confirmed that he did not submit an essay to People's Daily. Instead, he conducted group interviews with reporters in the two cities he visited. Those sources stated that the words attributed to James in the article were accurate, but they were not exclusive to any news outlet. They were not submitted to anyone as an essay or opinion editorial.
Instead, comments made by the Los Angeles Lakers star in group settings throughout his Chinese tour last week, to Shanghai and Chengdu, were printed in Mandarin by the newspaper. At the bottom of the article, according to three Chinese translators advising The Athletic, it refers to James as the "author," but also states that James was interviewed — and the piece was edited — by a reporter from People's Daily.
"Basketball is not only a sport — it is a bridge that connects us," James said, as printed by People's Daily.
The NBA was a huge cultural export to China until 2019 - reportedly worth more than $4 billion - when Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets , sent a tweet in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.
After playing two exhibition games with the Lakers against the Nets in China, James weighed in on the controversy Morey triggered.
"I don't want to get into a [verbal] feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn't educated on the situation at hand, and he spoke," James said before the Lakers faced the Warriors in a preseason game at Staples Center. "And so many people could have been harmed not only financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually. So just be careful what we tweet and say and we do, even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative that comes with that, too."
He added: "I believe he was either misinformed or not really educated on the situation, and if he was, then so be it. I have no idea, but that is just my belief. Because when you say things or do things, if you are doing it and you know the people that can be affected by it and the families and individuals and everyone that can be affected by it, sometimes things can be changed as well. And also social media is not always the proper way to go about things as well, but that's just my belief."
Republic Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska ripped in to James' comments, Tweeting "@KingJames — you're parroting communist propaganda. China is running torture camps and you know it."
Iain Levine, a professor of international and public affairs who teaches "Human Rights Research and Reporting" at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, said James was the one who was "misinformed."
"LeBron's criticism of Morey is problematic for two reasons," Levine told Forbes Sports. "First, LeBron is the one who seems ill-informed about the situation in Hong Kong and the human rights issues at stake. But, more importantly, he seems to endorse the idea that China be allowed to impose its repression of free speech on American citizens in the US. LeBron claims that he and the NBA had a difficult week but not half as difficult as the protestors in Hong Kong."
China ended up refusing to broadcast NBA games for several years because the league backed Morey. In 2022, commissioner Adam Silver said the repercussions had cost the league "hundreds of millions of dollars."
The NBA this year will return to China for the first time since 2019 with two preseason games in Macao between the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns in October.
"The basketball atmosphere in China has always amazed me," James said, as published by People's Daily (via The Athletic). "Each time I come here, my family and I receive such a warm welcome. The kindness and enthusiasm of my Chinese friends leave me deeply touched.
"What I can do in return is to give my all in every single game, as my way of saying thank you."
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
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