HONG KONG — When the ball smashed to a photo of LeBron James‘ face stuck above the hoop and dropped to the basket, ” the Hong Kong protesters cheered.
They assembled in a semicircle and trampled on awards bearing his title to watch a single burn.
James’ standing among basketball fans at Hong Kong took a hit because of remarks the NBA superstar made about free speech. Fans gathered on mates Hong Kong’s high tech buildings Tuesday to vent their anger.
The player for your Los Angeles Lakers touched a nerve among protesters for suggesting that free speech can have adverse consequences. They’ve been protesting for decades in protection of the freedom that James said can carry “a whole great deal of negative. ”
The protesters chanted assistance for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, something of a hero among demonstrators in the semi-autonomous Chinese land for having tweeted on Oct. 4 in support of their struggle, infuriating police in China.
What the crowd of about 200 people chanted about James wasn’t printable.
“People are angry,” said James Lo, a web designer who conducts a Hong Kong basketball fan site on Facebook. He explained he’s already received a movie from a protester that showed him burning a No. 23 jersey bearing James’ title.
He anticipates longer, given the backlash from protesters who’ve been regularly hitting the roads of Hong Kong and battling police because of concerns that the worldwide business hub is losing its own dignity, which are exceptional in China.
“Students, they come out just like every weekend. They’ve got then they have gun-shot, like each weekend and tear gassed. Police beating people and students , like daily. And he (James) just comes up with something (like) that. We simply can’t accept that. ”
James left his remarks in response to a question regarding whether Morey should be punished because of his tweet which reverberated in China and had implications to the NBA.
“Yes, people have freedom of speech,” James explained. “But at times, there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you just think about yourself when you re not considering others. ”
He added: “So many men and women might have been harmed but emotionally, emotionally, spiritually. So just be cautious that which we converse and what we say and what we are doing. It can be a great deal Though yes, we have freedom of speech. ”
NBA players weren’t made available before or after games in China, that CCTV didn’t broadcast, and many firms and state-run offices improved their ties with the NBA over Morey’s conversation along with the Celtics ’s response to it.
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Protesters said James’ comments smacked of a double-standard, because he’s used his clout as a sports headliner to media for social causes in the United States.
“Please bear in mind, all NBA players, what you said before: ‘Black lives issue. ’ Hong Kong lives thing! ” one of the protesters office worker William Mok, said in addressing the crowd.
Others said LeBron’s remarks made it appear he’s more worried about money than people.
“James was trying, you know, to take a negative, about the China side, that is like ridiculous,” said Aaron Lee, a marketing manager. “He was fair, fiscally. Financial is cash. Simple as that. LeBron James stands for cash. Period. ”
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