Protesters Stand With Morey, Down On Lebron

Dozens of basketball fans took to Southorn Playground in Wan Chai on Tuesday night to show their support for an executive of the NBA’s Houston Rockets… and express their disdain for superstar Lebron James, after both stirred up controversy over their comments about the Hong Kong protests.

“We do not need the money from China, we’re not you, Lebron!” one masked fan told the crowd through a microphone. Others put up posters depicting the LA Lakers forward holding a giant 100 yuan note in his outstretched arms.

James had told reporters in the United States that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey "wasn't educated" on Hong Kong and should have kept his mouth shut, after the executive tweeted last week: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong."

"So many people could have been harmed not only financially but physically, emotionally and spiritually. So just be careful with what we tweet, and we say, and we do," James told reporters when asked for comment in Los Angeles after returning from the NBA's annual China tour.

The star had attempted to clarify his stance with a pair of subsequent tweets.

"Let me clear up the confusion. I do not believe there was any consideration for the consequences and ramifications of (Morey's) tweet. I'm not discussing the substance. Others can talk About that," he wrote.

But that wasn’t good enough for the protesters in Wan Chai, who had no doubts about James’ true motivation.

“Lebron is saying some bad things about Morey because of money”, one said.

Another protesters accused the 34-year-old of hypocrisy, pointing out that he had previously been a defender of civil rights, in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the US.

“Right now, Lebron James is forgetting what he said before, and is ignoring the threat to freedom and democracy in Hong Kong” a disappointed fan said.

The protesters, ignoring the rain, stood in formation to form the letters in Morey’s name in a show of support for the executive, whose tweet had resulted in a massive backlash in the mainland, casting a cloud over the NBA's lucrative broadcasting, merchandising and sponsorship interests in China.

They also shouted protest slogans like "Stand with Morey! Stand with Hong Kong!"

Some hung around shooting baskets – aiming at a photo of the Chief Executive Carrie Lam that they stuck on the backboard.

Many of them wore NBA jerseys, and most wore masks in open defiance of the governments ban against face masks at all protests. (Additional reporting by AFP)