'LeBron James hypocrite' claims gather pace on Twitter after HK activist blasts NBA star

Amid widespread protests against racial injustice and police brutality, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been one of the key vocal figures in support of the protests. The Lakers star has used his social media platform to bring attention to the peaceful protests across the United States and has been frequently advocating for the rights of Afro-Americans. While his outspoken nature has been supported by many activists and the general population, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has labelled the 'LeBron James hypocrite' mark on the NBA star and his tweet criticising LeBron is quickly gaining the attention of the masses.

Also Read | LeBron James Wants To Be Known For The Way He 'approached Life As An African American Man'

LeBron James hypocrite? Joshua Wong believes so

Joshua Wong, a 23-year-old student activist from Hong Kong, has been at the forefront of protests in his native country since 2014. In his recent tweet, Joshua Wong shed light on LeBron James' comments about the Hong Kong protests in 2019 where the latter chose to remain silent on the 2019 mass protests in Hong Kong against Mainland China. Wong calls LeBron James a 'hypocrite' and claimed that the Lakers star "only talks loud in the United States."

LeBron James hypocrite? 2019 NBA-China controversy

At the start of the 2019/20 NBA season, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey stirred a major controversy when he tweeted his support for the protests in Hong Kong against Mainland China. Morey's statement resulted in a major backlash from China, which is also one of the NBA's biggest markets outside of the United States. The Chinese government reacted by cancelling the broadcast of all NBA games featuring the Rockets, who are one of most beloved teams in China. The China NBA relationship has since been rocky, although things cooled down after the initial blowup. 

Daryl Morey's comments came about the time NBA teams toured the country as a part of the 2019 NBA China exhibition games. One of the teams in the Asian country was the Lakers. When asked to comment on the situation, LeBron James opted to stay silent on the protests, instead, he criticised Daryl Morey for his 'misinformed' comments. 

Also Read | LeBron James The Face Of Creating ‘New White House’? NBA Stars Lead Voting Rights Cause

Subsequently, LeBron James took to Twitter to further lament Morey claiming one tweet or comment can cause a lot of harm to others. "I think when we talk about the political side, it was a very delicate situation, a very sensitive situation,” LeBron James told ESPN. “And for me personally, you guys know that when I speak about something, I speak about something I’m very knowledgeable about, something I’m very passionate about." The 35-year-old drew himself away from the hot topic by stating he was "not informed enough" to speak up on the Hong Kong protests.

While LeBron James did explain himself on multiple occasions, as it seems Joshua Wong and other activists in Hong Kong still hold a grudge against the NBA star. 

Also Read | LeBron James' Return To Cleveland In 2014 Was Met With an Electric Reception; Watch

LeBron James hypocrite? A snippet from 2019

Also Read | LeBron James Questions Voting Process, Raises Point Of System Being 'structurally Racist'