Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been criticized over his silence on Hong Kong. Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Activist calls LeBron James 'hypocritical' for silence on Hong Kong

By Blake Harper | Last updated 6/11/20

LeBron James has been praised for partnering on "More Than a Vote," a nonprofit meant to encourage black Americans to register to vote while exposing voter suppression, but Joshua Wong, a democratic activist, called out James for being hypocritical in his lack of support for Hong Kong last season.

"Defending democracy is vital, but @KingJames only talks loud in the US. On China, not only is he silent, he actively shuts others up," Wong tweeted. "He called @dmorey 'misinformed' and 'not really educated' for supporting #HongKong. All he cares about is money, not human rights. Hypocritical."

Defending democracy is vital, but @KingJames only talks loud in the US. On China, not only is he silent, he actively shuts others up. He called @dmorey "misinformed" and "not really educated" for supporting #HongKong. All he cares about is money, not human rights. Hypocritical. https://t.co/vxVMWIjsjY
— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 (@joshuawongcf) June 11, 2020

In October, Rockets GM Daryl Morey ignited controversy when he tweeted his support for protesters in Hong Kong, which caused the Chinese government to threaten to end its relationship with the NBA. James did not outright condemn Morey's tweet but instead said that he felt that he was not properly informed about the entire situation.

"I don’t want to get into a word- or sentence-feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand," James told reporters in October. "And so many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally, spiritually."

Many felt that James' statement was financially motivated and his support allowed the NBA to avoid having to fully back Morey's tweet. Wong, who served two months in jail due to his involvement in the Hong Kong protests in 2014, made it clear that he believes that James' activism only extends to the United States.

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