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LeBron James Says He’s Done Talking About China

(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said Tuesday he’s done talking about China following an avalanche of criticism.

“I’ve talked about it yesterday. I tweeted out a couple responses to people not understanding my knowledge of what it came from from my brain and from me learning from the situation. I’m talking about it now, but I won’t talk about it again,” James said. (RELATED: NBA Legend Makes Absurd Comment When Comparing LeBron, Kobe And Jordan)

James ignited a firestorm of criticism Monday night after he ripped Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey over his support for human rights protests in Hong Kong. (RELATED: Dow Jones Skyrockets After Trump-China Announcement)

“We all talk about this freedom of speech — yes, we all do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you’re not thinking about others and only thinking about yourself,” James said at the time. “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.”

Reports also emerged Monday that James was pressuring the NBA to punish Morey for his opinions. The NBA is one of many major corporations and elite American institutions with significant business ties in China. The league itself has received criticism over its response to human rights violations in China, particularly after fans were ejected from an NBA preseason game last week for chanting “free Hong Kong.”