Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James Didn’t Write Article That Carried His Name in Chinese Paper

NBA star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t write an article for a Communist, state-controlled daily news outlet that carried his name, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

James conducted group interviews with reporters during his visit to China while on a Nike trip and his words from the interviews were published in the People’s Daily.

“However, despite James’ name being attached to the story, two sources close to James confirmed that he did not submit an essay to the People’s Daily and instead conducted group interviews with reporters there in the two cities he visited,” Vardon wrote. “Those sources stated that the words attributed to James in the article were accurate, but they were not exclusive to any news outlet. They were not submitted to anyone as an essay or opinion editorial.”

This Nike trip for James was the NBA legend’s first visit to China since October 2019.

In October 2019, the Lakers went to Shanghai for preseason games against the Brooklyn Nets just as an international controversy was flaring between the Chinese government and the NBA over a social media post by then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who supported Hong Kong protestors.

In response, the Chinese government banned NBA games from the country’s television airwaves for several years.

In 2022, commissioner Adam Silver stated that the fallout had cost the league “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

James, 40, is the oldest active player in the NBA. He turns 41 in December and will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018.

It will be intriguing to see if James retires after next season or chooses to play in 2026-27. The basketball icon averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks for the Lakers last season in 70 games. He finished sixth in MVP voting and made the All-NBA Second Team.

A four-time champion, James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Miami Heat and Lakers. He enters next season with career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks. The four-time Finals MVP is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists.