eh Jeremy Lin himself spoke up and said he didn't want to name names or escalate. He spoke up about it happening in the court, and he thinks that's good enough awareness.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on LeBron James: ‘I don’t like when people with a ‘status’ speak about politics’ [Lebron responds]
- Thread starter YawZah
- Start date
Agreed. That said, anti-asian violence in the USA is an entirely different beast than the CCP crushing human rights, so I don't know why we are on this detour where now we are saying he sucks on the particular issue he is tackling ("racism") and has been actually dead to rights on, and posters are showing their ass "Well, since he hasnt spoken out, ill ignore that other true anti racist shit he said" lol.
Here's the thing, he's an absolute buffoon on the CCP shit and should have done better, but there's an odd agenda for some of the replies here where I can't tell if its anti Lebron, anti people perceived as universally privileged, or unfortunately something else from a darker (...lol, well lighter) place.
I don't think people expected him to have the answer to issues in China, it was more that he interjected himself into the situation by going out of his way to try and stop the NBA's discourse on the issue and try to shut it down.
He didn't say "no comment" or something he said Morey was "misinformed" and "not educated" and should keep quiet presumably to protect his own business interests.
When he did that, the situation became different.
That said, the central issue of this topic is Zlatan's comments, which are stupid. LeBron has every right to speak out on social issues.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: UEFA opens investigation after AC Milan striker racially abused at Red Star Belgrade
UEFA has begun a disciplinary investigation after Zlatan Ibrahimovic was subjected to racist abuse last week; it happened during AC Milans Europa League match against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia; Ibrahimovic was an unused substitute for the game
Let's see what Zlatan has to say about this. Surely he will ask UEFA to stop the investigation because you know, politics should not have place in sports, even if you are the one who is racially abused.
Like all people, LeBron is not perfect. He's immensely famous, rich, and influential, and has used his position for good.
He's also failed to say the right thing, or to understand the gravity of a situation.
He's also been the target himself of hatred and bigotry.
He can be all those things at once, and should be praised and criticized as appropriate.
Zlatan is similar, but needs to STFU in this case.
He's also failed to say the right thing, or to understand the gravity of a situation.
He's also been the target himself of hatred and bigotry.
He can be all those things at once, and should be praised and criticized as appropriate.
Zlatan is similar, but needs to STFU in this case.
Are you upset because you're here to defend Lebron or did you distort what I said?
I won't defend his China/HK comments, I was more on about the assertion that he must say something about how Jeremy Lin has been treated or everything good that he's done is negated.
It's one thing to say celebrities should be careful with the opinions they share because often those opinions are ignorant or poorly thought out and can be counterproductive or even harmful, but to say celebrities should just stick to what they are good at is stupid. LeBron has said some dumb things, but I also think he's been a really important voice for positive change precisely because he has such a huge platform and following that many listen to and are influenced by that wouldn't otherwise (like will a 9 year old kid who loves basketball be swayed by politicians or social justice organizers?).
I just find it weird as fuck that Zlatan went after Lebron, blm is a big thing in soccer/football/futbol/diveball/whatever you want to call it. It's just weird that he went four/five lanes over to specifically go after him, with the only intersectionality maybe them being in la at the same for a season maybe?
I haven't seen a single thread or anything about Hong Kong for quite a while. I honestly haven't kept up with it since white liberals got bored with it and tossed it to the side. Are things still grim?
The only time this forum brings it up now is to assassinate LeBron's character.
The only time this forum brings it up now is to assassinate LeBron's character.
You know what...Imma call it as I see it, I've also been asking myself "Why the hell would Zlatan say something like that to begin with?", then it hit me: jealousy of course.
I see passive aggressive remarks about HK towards LeBron all the time here and there. He was an asshole for what he said but we went from donating money towards the cause to not talking about it at all. The post was an observation.
I am actually just finding out how popular LeBron is outside the US. Good lord at these footballers though. Worth noting LeBron is the only black dude on the list.
Edit: my mistake, LeBron is the only American on the list.
Last edited:
Mbappe is black too. In fact people of colour are well represented on that list.
i meant that you only seem to pay attention to things if they have been curated for you by the white liberals of resetera.
Mbappe is also black. People of colour make up half the list, which is great to see.
Fuck Virat Kohli, though.
Oof, yeah, i guess it's more accurate to say LeBron is the only American there. And yeah, people of color always get their due in sports in regards to respect. But not in many other venues.
Your observation included a tacit admission that you don't care about the suffering in China, and only are forced to even acknowledge it if "white liberals" do it first. I'm assuming that wasn't your intention. Also there's plenty of threads on era about it if you're interested.
Maybe Google the other names on the list before saying something so profoundly stupid.
you lost me there. i was just asking if the self-deprecation was intended. seems it was not.
ITT a lot of people present a false argument about Lebron. No one is asking for him to take the lead on HK. He actively fucked up when talking about it. That's very different from saying "he doesn't have the responsibility to tackle every issue", which is of course true.
Obviously Zlatan is wrong and ridiculous to say what he did (I don't think a single person in this thread has said otherwise). While condemning Vlatan it is also valid to point out that Lebron is not nearly as good at being a human rights advocate as he thinks he is given his massive fuck up regarding HK.
Obviously Zlatan is wrong and ridiculous to say what he did (I don't think a single person in this thread has said otherwise). While condemning Vlatan it is also valid to point out that Lebron is not nearly as good at being a human rights advocate as he thinks he is given his massive fuck up regarding HK.
Yes, things are still grim. Today many people were charged for standing up against the CCP. https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/28/asia/hong-kong-lawmakers-charged-nsl-intl-hnk/index.html
It's not that I don't care. But if i see people righteously bring it up to pull a gotcha on rich athletes. There's enough there for me to question where their "care" comes from. Like i said, i was part of those threads that donated to the cause. And in light of what happened last year, things move fast. It was not uncommon to see, "fuck Disney, free HK," "fuck Blizzard, free HK" and the like. Now that's virtually gone?
You would think Ibra came out and said LeBron was a coward for not going after China based off this thread but that's not what was said.
gotta say, whoever the pr guy he hired, is good at his job. because we all know lebron isnt level headed enough to stay on top of all this.
I couldn't tell if you were being passive aggressive which is the most common language spoken on this site. Still got the feeling you are but whatever.
I can agree with this. LeBron has an image he's trying to maintain. I think he's done some solid work here. Namely, his own community in Akron, endorsing Hillary in 2016, and quite a few other things. But yeah, he's not Ali, Kareem, or Kap and i don't think he was ever trying to be.
He by his own admission acknowledged Kap's sacrifice as something many don't have the courage to do.
Also, thank you for the article. Every now and then the HK stuff what come to my mind. But I'm always reminded though LeBron threads.
Yes, I agree 100%. His good vastly outweighs his one fuck up regarding HK. The world is better with Lebron in it for sure and better with him "being political" and helping so many others out. The idea that Zlatan thinks that he should be silenced is particularly insulting given all the good that has come from Lebron over the years.
we dont. its just a guess based on how much his public persona changed over the years.
This doesn't make any damn sense. Lebron came in to the public eye as a pre teen, why are we attributing his growth to a behind the scenes person?
I can understand both the disappointment in LeBron and those who still see him as a positive figure in sports. Just ugly times we live in. I can't get on Twitter and say "fuck China!" without also telling racist COVID conspiracy ass hats to shut the fuck up about China. Zlatan is a straight-up hypocrite for what he said.
Sidenote, I was about to create a thread for the article you linked but there is already one if anyone else is interested.
https://www.resetera.com/threads/mo...w-national-security-law.386210/#post-59718059
Lebron and many other NBA players probably won't ever speak up about China related issues because it will affect their bottom lines. When Daryl Morey (the then GM of the Houston Rockets) spoke up for HK on social media last year, the entire NBA came down hard on him. As a result of Morey's actions the NBA lost a lot of money as the CCP banned NBA games until like late into the playoffs.
I'm actually surprised Morey did that in the first place since the Rockets were one of the bigger teams for the mainland Chinese market due to having Yao Ming in the past. But I gotta give him props for speaking out in what is just.
Ultimately, it's all about money when it comes to the NBA and China. So don't ever expect much if you want to see the NBA speak up on human rights abuses there. And you have players with business deals there like Klay Thompson with his Chinese shoe deal. Also don't forget that Lebron does own his own film production company. We laugh about the new Space Jam but Lebron isn't just starring in it, he's also the producer. He obviously wants his family friendly basketball movie to do well at the box office. And what's left of that is pretty much only in China at the moment.
I'm actually surprised Morey did that in the first place since the Rockets were one of the bigger teams for the mainland Chinese market due to having Yao Ming in the past. But I gotta give him props for speaking out in what is just.
Ultimately, it's all about money when it comes to the NBA and China. So don't ever expect much if you want to see the NBA speak up on human rights abuses there. And you have players with business deals there like Klay Thompson with his Chinese shoe deal. Also don't forget that Lebron does own his own film production company. We laugh about the new Space Jam but Lebron isn't just starring in it, he's also the producer. He obviously wants his family friendly basketball movie to do well at the box office. And what's left of that is pretty much only in China at the moment.
you need to acknowledge the context of shut up dribble.
people literally tell athletes like LeBron to "learn better English" and stop speaking in "slang." "Look at how he speaks, he should just stick to sports!"
and just mountains of other racist shit that athletes like him have to go through.
Morey was 100% right in his protest, but he's a white rich guy in a suit, no one has ever told him to shut up and be a businessman all his life. and if it has happened I can't imagine it's anything like "shut up and dribble." LeBron was wrong and Morey was right but I do not agree at all with this comparison.
Lots of fucked up random takes here. A related aside, the most consistently racist space seems to be talking about sports, even if the conversation has nothing to do about race. 'bron had a bad take on CCP politics but some of the replies, eesh
My problem is the sly "he was wrong this time so that not only invalidates his work but the cause" going on to validate Zlatan's "shut up and dribble". But like i say, no such thing as allies.
While you make a wonderful point about the hidden connotation and history of "shut up and dribble" the rest of your post is off base. Morey is not wealthy, certainly not compared to Lebron or most NBA athletes. Most every talking head from SAS to Lebron James himself told him not to talk about shit he doesn't know anything about.
After Daryl Morey Tweet Backlash, LeBron James Says Executive Was Misinformed on China (Published 2019)
The Lakers star said the Houston Rockets executive could have endangered traveling players with his pro-Hong Kong tweet. The comments prompted widespread backlash, including from protesters.
This was an incredibly disappointing read.While you make a wonderful point about the hidden connotation and history of "shut up and dribble" the rest of your post is off base. Morey is not wealthy, certainly not compared to Lebron or most NBA athletes. Most every talking head from SAS to Lebron James himself told him not to talk about shit he doesn't know anything about.
After Daryl Morey Tweet Backlash, LeBron James Says Executive Was Misinformed on China (Published 2019)
The Lakers star said the Houston Rockets executive could have endangered traveling players with his pro-Hong Kong tweet. The comments prompted widespread backlash, including from protesters.www.nytimes.com
Did not expect to see Rick Scott of all people pretending to care about HK.
Last edited:
Be that as may, Lebron does a ton of good and uses his platform to promote causes he is passionate about. Just as does Zlatan or Rashford. Are Zlatan, Lebron, the NBA, Disney and most corporations hypocrites? Yes but so are most of us. Few individuals are not hypocrites. Appreciate the good they do and the joy they bring us but don't put them on a pedestal.
I get the context because "shut up and dribble" functions as a way to get minority athletes to be quiet, as the perception is the idea that basketball players don't know what they're talking about. However, the similarity is there in terms of LeBron trying to silence Morey. And as another poster alluded, there were tons of people who tried to silence Morey in a similar "stay in your lane, you don't know what you're talking about" fashion. So IMO, there is a valid comparison, even if the experience of race is different (similarity doesn't mean exact copy).
I hear you there.
To flat out dismiss him as completely ignorant was some bullshit and pretty ironic.
First, I want to say that I 100% support any athlete/celebrity/public figure who isn't in politics from trying to bring attention to important social issues such as racism in America. LeBron has absolutely done a ton for the black community and criticism of him is in no way a means of trying to diminish his work here in the states.
That being said, the issue tends to be that people like LeBron will often speak in grandiose platitudes, such as the following:
This in and of itself is not a controversial statement and I'd wager that most if not all of us here would 100% agree with this sentiment.
Which is why it was extremely disappointing that the same guy who will champion that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere failed so spectacularly when it came to talking about China, minimizing the issue and focusing on the financial impact of a global, multi-billion dollar industry's bottom line.
The ironic thing of course here being that LeBron certainly comes off thinking about himself here and not thinking about how his words would affect others. He's using much nicer language while still using the "shut up and dribble" argument against Morey that we all acknowledged is stupid and disrespectful of human beings who have a right to be able to speak up on something they see as a clear injustice. The statement also implies that LeBron IS actually educated on the situation in Hong Kong which would lead him to be an authority to believe that Morey isn't educated on the situation.
We can all acknowledge, as LeBron certainly does, that speaking up on injustice is going to ruffle a few feathers. We can acknowledge that white fragility is a thing for instance. Which is why it's so curious when LeBron can then turn around and tell Morey that he needs to think about how is words would make other people feel. How it would affect them "financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually."
So does this mean that LeBron HAS to take up the issue of China within the causes that he's actively advocating for? No. I do generally agree with him, in his follow-up interview responding to the backlash he received, that there's issues all over the world, including in the US that certainly he can speak to better because it affects him and his community and that's particularly what he feels most comfortable advocating for because of his wealth of knowledge and experience. But what it does mean is that he had and has absolutely no right to tell other people that they have shouldn't speak up on an issue of human rights and that they should think twice about bringing attention to a clear example of injustice. Even in that same response interview he still doubles down on saying that Morey wasn't educated enough on the situation to speak on it, despite not talking to Morey or actually asking him about it, while presumably being enough of an authority himself on the issue to make that judgment.
Which is why, while we can all point at Zlatan's complete tone-deafness and absolute ignorance towards LeBron's activism, it's worth noting that as LeBron hits Zlatan for being educated enough to see injustice when it happens to him but blind to injustices felt by others, LeBron himself has never really acknowledged his own failing in that as well.
If you don't speak about every political issue then you should never be allowed to speak on any issue. That's just basic facts.
LeBron uses his status as one of the most talented athletes to ever live and one of the most famous people in the world to support some great and important causes; he has real, undeniable, insuperable power, and he uses it rather than chickening out and remaining "apolitical".
He doesn't wield that power perfectly, but it would've been so easy for him to just stay silent and remain above it all.
He doesn't wield that power perfectly, but it would've been so easy for him to just stay silent and remain above it all.