Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James did not write an op-ed for Chinese state media, despite an Associated Press report stating otherwise on Tuesday.
Several Chinese news outlets carried an article titled “Basketball is a Bridge Connecting Each Other” that claimed to be written by James. A representative for the four-time MVP refuted the story.
The article was published as the NBA prepares to play a pair of preseason games in Macao, China, next month.
James was part of a Chinese media tour that featured several stops around the basketball-loving nation.
“It’s super humbling for me to be able to come here, so far away from home, and get the reception and the love, I just wanted to pour it back to the community and to this country,” James said at one of the media gatherings, according to Xinhua, China’s official news agency.
The initial report infuriated several conservative commentators who viewed the original article as anti-American.
“This is like American malpractice,” former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya said on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” show. “This is the guy who is defending China to the hills. Why? Because all of his sneakers are made there.”
The NBA’s planned exhibitions are its first official forays back into the country since 2019. Chinese officials were upset with the league after it opted not to punish then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey over social media posts that supported anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
— This article is based in part on wire service reports.