NBA great LeBron James wrote a rare op-ed in Chinese state media this week, pointing to basketball as an avenue for diplomacy amid tensions with the U.S. Writing in Monday’s edition of the People’s Daily newspaper, the 40-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star said “basketball is not only a sport, but also a bridge that connects us.”
The piece was published as James was in China ahead of two NBA pre-season games next month in Macao between the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets. And it comes as leaders in China and the U.S. seek options to avert a potential trade showdown between the world’s two biggest economies.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose steep tariffs on China, which has said it would respond with retaliatory levies of its own. Trump said last month that he would delay the tariffs for 90 days as negotiators from both countries work on a potential deal, which could ultimately lead to a summit later this year or early next year between the U.S. leader and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
As the standoff unfolds, James’ comments caught the attention of the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, which reported: “It is rare for the mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party to run articles carrying the byline of foreign sports stars. It is more common for international sporting heroes to connect with fans in China via Chinese social media.”
The NBA is working to rebuild its brand in greater China, where basketball has long been popular. The games on Oct. 10 and 12 will take place more than five years after the league was effectively banned for a while in China over NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s decision not to punish Daryl Morey in 2019 for tweeting support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.
The geopolitical rift started when Morey, then the general manager of the Houston Rockets and now GM of the Philadelphia 76ers, tweeted support for protesters while the Nets and Los Angeles Lakers were in China.
The tweet was deleted, but the fallout lasted years. No NBA games were shown in China for a year, and broadcasts of games only started returning regularly in 2022.
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There’s been a series of moves toward a return to normalcy between China and the league, including a visit by Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox last year that drew enormous crowds. Curry returned for a visit last month.
Ahead of his 23rd season in the NBA, James said he was amazed by the reception he has received in China.
“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,” Xinhua, the official news agency, quoted him as saying as he wrapped up his visit in Chengdu.
