LeBron James Says Morey Tweet Went Too Far

Basketball player LeBron James waded into the dispute between the NBA and China on Monday, saying he believes Daryl Morey went too far when he tried to exercise his right to free speech.

The Los Angeles Lakers star criticised the Houston Rockets GM, saying he was "misinformed" and needed to be educated after Morey tweeted his support for the Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.

"I don't want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey. But I believe he wasn't educated on the situation at hand and he spoke," James said before the Lakers exhibition contest overnight on Monday against the Golden State Warriors.

"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.

"Yes, we do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative that comes with that too."

James's Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets were thrust into the controversy when the clubs arrived in China last week to play two exhibition games on October 10 and October 12 amidst turmoil after Morey tweeted, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong."

James said Morey was thinking of himself when he made his comment.

"There are ramifications for the negative that can happen when not thinking about others, when you are only thinking about yourself," he said.

James also has a lifetime endorsement deal worth tens of millions with Nike, which does big business in China. James has made about a dozen trips to China with Nike. (AFP)