Los Angeles Lakers: Will LeBron speak about the Daryl Morey situation?

Amidst the rising controversy regarding Daryl Morey, one name that keeps being brought to the conversation is Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James.

Last week, Daryl Morey posted a tweet saying “fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” This is in response to the ongoing and recently turned violent protests in which Chinese citizens in Hong Kong are demanding a democracy. The police have clashed with these protesters, with many being arrested and some even killed.

Following this tweet, a majority of Chinese businesses cut all ties with the Houston Rockets, which is the most popular Chinese NBA team. Much of their popularity is due to former Rocket, Yao Ming, who is now the chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, which announced they would cut their ties with the Rockets.

Additionally, the Chinese Basketball Association suspended the preseason game the Rockets G-League team was scheduled to play. Furthermore, China Central Television (CCTV), the country’s largest television network, announced that they will not be broadcasting Thursday’s preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.

This is an extremely shaky situation for the NBA. The NBA prides itself on being a progressive league that advocates for social justice. However, they are now facing backlash with this current situation.

Adam Silver released a statement against Morey:

"⁠”We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.”"

China has become a multi-billion dollar industry for the NBA, and has been one of the most economically significant countries as the NBA has expanded internationally. Many US fans and even politicians have torn apart Silver for his comments, saying that the NBA is only this “progressive” league when it makes sense for them financially.

Bottom line—the NBA will support/not support a social issue on the basis of its economic impact on the league.

This brings us to Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James. Aside from his greatness on the court, James has received great praise for his commitment to advocating for social issues off the court.

LeBron has used his platform to fight for what he believes is right. He has advocated for equality of gender and race on many occasions. James always makes sure to rep his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he grew up very poor and was raised by a single mother. He has always given back to his community and recently opened the famed I Promise School for underprivileged kids in Akron.

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Additionally, when it comes to gender equality, James has been one of the biggest supporters of the WNBA and its players.

LeBron has also openly bashed Donald Trump on many occasions. He has done so on his show “The Shop”, in interviews, and also through Twitter. When he was told to “shut up and dribble” by Laura Ingraham on Fox News, he started the “More than an Athlete” campaign, which has taken off.

Though LeBron is considered to be an activist on social issues, he has yet to speak on the situation with the NBA and China. With the Los Angeles Lakers’ upcoming preseason games in Shanghai, he will surely receive many questions about it from reporters.

There are great implications regarding the stance LeBron takes on this issue.

One major factor in this will be Nike, as LeBron signed a one billion dollar lifetime contract with them. Nike is very prevalent in China, generating them $6.21 billion in the 2019 fiscal year. In addition to revenue, over 25% of production and manufacturing for Nike takes place in China.

China is a great opportunity for economic growth as basketball’s popularity is rapidly expanding (over 300 million people in China play basketball). On the contrary, the loss of China as a Nike partner would drastically hurt their value.

As the face of Nike, LeBron’s opinions on the Morey situation can directly impact how China deals with Nike.

If LeBron stands with Morey, China will very likely cut all ties with LeBron in China, including his Nike Lebron 17 shoes, his jersey and perhaps even the Los Angeles Lakers altogether.

Essentially, LeBron, Nike, and the Los Angeles Lakers would all suffer financially by standing with Morey.

The Lakers and Nike may even ask LeBron to not speak on the issue due to these implications. But this would damage LeBron’s reputation as an activist of social justice.

Freedom of speech is the foundation for LeBron’s success with social justice issues (he literally called President Trump a “bum” on Twitter). But now he will not stand by Morey for exercising his right of free speech because it will hurt him financially?

LeBron may look very hypocritical by not speaking out. Similar to the NBA, LeBron would essentially look like he is all for advocating for social issues unless it affects his bank account.

So what decision will LeBron make? Will Nike or the Lakers ask him to not speak on the situation? As one of the most untouchable players of all time, would he speak out anyways? Would this breach his contract with Nike in any way?

As you can see, there are a lot of implications involved in LeBron’s decision that goes farther than just money or doing what is right. For example, especially with being in China this week, LeBron may fear for his life, and his family’s, if he speaks out against China.

This is a no-win situation for LeBron and the league. LeBron will have to weigh all the pros and cons and do what he feels is best. This will result in backlash from either China or US fans. China would hurt him financially, while US fans would damage his reputation by saying he is a coward and a hypocrite.

Hopefully, this situation plays out well. But with money, international business, and opposing government systems, there is no telling what turns this can take.