- Title: NBA fans in Hong Kong disappointed in Lebron's comment on Morey
- Date: 15th October 2019
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) A 24-YEAR-OLD BASKETBALL FAN, NIKIO YUEN, SAYING: "I respected him a lot and I appreciated him a lot before this morning's comment. But after this morning's comment, I think it's the difference between a great player and a good player and it's the difference between a hero and a basketball star. He's a good basketball star, he's one of the greatest of all time but he's not a hero." MEN PLAYING BASKETBALL
- Embargoed: 29th October 2019 14:17
- Keywords: Hong Kong protest CCTV footage NBA Lebron James NBA ban Hong Kong basketball
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Government/Politics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA003B17HMPZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hong Kong basketball fans gathered on Tuesday (October 15) to express their support for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey after NBA superstar LeBron James said he "wasn't educated" when he sent a tweet in support of protesters in Hong Kong this month.
Morey's tweet of support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong on October 4 set off a firestorm, prompting Chinese sponsors and partners to cut ties with the league and the National Basketball Association (NBA) to answer difficult questions about free speech.
James' tweets and statement have set off their own firestorm, with basketball fans in the U.S. and China sounding off. On Twitter, many users responded to his statement with anger. "Weak," said one user. Others simply posted emoji of bags of money.
Hong Kong has been rocked by four months of unrest, with massive marches and at times violent protests involving tear gas, petrol bombs and live rounds, over concerns Beijing is tightening its grip on the city and eroding democratic rights.
(Production: Ronn Bautista, Xihao Jiang, Chiara Rodriquez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
