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LeBron James author an essay in China’s state people’s daily Monday, almost six years after a post from former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey ignited a fire storm in the country and flossed the relationship between the Chinese government in the NBA.
The words of Los Angeles Lakers star came when he wrapped Forever King Tour, where he visited Shanghai and Chengdu. The trip coincided with his 20 -year anniversary for Touring Asia with Nike.
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The Los Angeles Lakers tip LeBron James (23) talks to a third quarter judge against Minnesota Timberwolves during match four in the first round for 2025 NBA playing in Target Center on April 27, 2025. (Matt Blewett/Imag images)
“The enthusiasm and kindness of Chinese friends touch me deeply and all I can do is give everything in every game to express my gratitude,” he wrote in the paper via Reuters. “I hope I can contribute to the development of Chinese basketball.”
Lakers and Brooklyn Nets were in Asia for a tour before the start of the 2019-20 season, and it came when the residents of Hong Kong protested against a security law. Morey wrote on X and then called Twitter, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” The position caused a huge gap between NBA and China when some Chinese TV stations refused to air.
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A poster by NBAS Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James with China National Flag is seen outside Mong Kok Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station under an anti-government protest, in Hong Kong, China, October 20, 2019. (Reuters/Tyrone Siu)
Morey would later erase the tweet and release a statement and said, “I had no intention of my tweet to cause any violation of rocket fans and friends of me in China. I just expressed a thought based on an interpretation of a complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since the tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.”
James, at the time, “raged” to players about Morey’s tweet, according to an ESPN report in 2022. He also spoke when Lakers arrived back in the United States, which suggested that those who are “wrongly informed or not trained about anything” should not talk about geopolitical problems.
South China Morning Post noted on Monday that James thanked his Chinese fans for their reception of him.
“Every time I come here, my family and I are warmly welcomed. I am deeply moved by the hospitality and kindness of our Chinese friends. All I can do is give everything in every fight and express my gratitude to everyone,” he wrote.
The Los Angeles Lakers tip LeBron James will appear during the first half of a NBA basketball match against Utah Jazz on February 10, 2025 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
It seems that China has since cooled on its tensions with NBA in the last few years of games slowly returning to Chinese TV stations and streaming services.
