Sen. Ted Cruz took aim at NBA superstar LeBron James, saying he is a “hell of a player” but seems more “interested in money” than defending freedom.
“Kissing up to Chinese communists and tyrants and apologizing for murderers, it’s not a good look for the NBA,” the Texas Republican said in video released by TMZ on Wednesday.
“I would encourage LeBron, learn a little bit about the people of Tibet, learn a little bit about Falun Gong, the religious persecution and the torture and the horrific human rights abuses that occur in China,” Cruz said in response to LeBron’s insisting Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey “wasn’t educated” when he tweeted support for the Hong Kong freedom protests.
James, 34, criticized Morey’s support for Hong Kong Monday, saying it had harmed the NBA “financially.” The NBA superstar even asked the league’s commissioner Adam Silver to discipline Morey over his tweet.
James said Tuesday night he would not be talking about the China-Hong Kong situation anymore after backlash from U.S. fans.
Cruz visited Hong Kong this past weekend where he met with protesters and spoke out against the Chinese “dictatorship.”
“The Chinese communist government, I believe, is terrified of the protesters in the streets in Hong Kong,” he told reporters. “President Xi is terrified of millions of people in Hong Kong, but even more than that, millions of people in China yearning to live free.”
