LeBron James silent as new China controversy swirls around him

LeBron James stayed silent this week as controversy swirled around him over a piece in a Chinese state-run newspaper with his byline that appeared on Monday.

James’ byline appeared in the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The piece expressed appreciation of China and the Chinese people. It would have marked the first time an NBA player had ever penned an essay in Chinese government-controlled media and would come nearly six years after the Los Angeles Lakers star ripped former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey for his social media post in support of Hong Kong protesters against the Chinese government.

As the NBA superstar received a ton of criticism and condemnation for the words that appeared to be his, a new report on Tuesday offered a new twist but fewer answers about the piece.

The Athletic, citing unnamed sources, reported that James “didn’t write the article that carried his name” in the People’s Daily. The report said that James did group interviews with reporters in two cities in China he visited as part of the “Forever King Tour” with Nike. The sources told the outlet that James’ words in the paper were accurate “but they were not submitted to anyone as an essay or an opinion editorial.”

Three Chinese translators told The Athletic that the People’s Daily referred to James as the “author” of the piece but “also states that James was interviewed – and the piece was edited – by a reporter” from the government-controlled newspaper.

Since James was credited with writing a piece in the People’s Daily, he’s been unusually quiet about what actually transpired and how his name got onto the byline of a Communist paper.

Fox News Digital asked a James rep whether the near-certain future Basketball Hall of Famer believed there was a mix-up between him and those affiliated with the People’s Daily and if James knew his name was going to be on the byline of the paper. Fox News Digital also asked whether the piece was published without his knowledge.

Fox News Digital did not hear back. It is not clear why James himself would not publicly deny he wrote the essay, instead relying on unnamed sources close to him to relay the message.

Meanwhile, the critical voices of James’ byline appearing in the outlet have been loud.

Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya slammed James in an appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.”

NBA CHAMPION ZAZA PACHULIA ON THE WARRIORS DYNASTY: ‘GREATEST TEAM EVER ASSEMBLED’

“The first (thought) was, ‘OK, is this real? Is this A.I.? Is this legit? Is he this ill-informed?’… This is like American malpractice,” Tafoya said. “This is the guy who is defending China to the hills. Why? Because all of his sneakers are made there.”

Tafoya pointed out that James, like a majority of NBA players, has been silent on the plight of Uyghur Muslims in China. The U.S. Department of Labor released a report in 2024 about Uyghur Muslims being forced to undergo “ideological indoctrination” as well as being forced to learn Mandarin.

China has consistently rejected claims of human rights violations when it came to Uyghurs.

“And he is ignorant of the human rights (issues) – the absolute atrocities going on in China, and the fact that China would like to destroy most of the Western world and own the globe, or else LeBron loves that idea,” Tafoya added. “Maybe he’s all in. Maybe that’s what he wants too. For a guy who is very vocal about the slave history of the United States of America.

“He’s certainly able to overlook the slave life that’s still going on in China. I would never understand this, and I would love to sit down and interview him about it because I have a lot of pointed questions, but I don’t think he’s going to take any questions about this.”

FOX Sports broadcaster Tim Brando was also critical of James.

“It’s a sellout,” Brando said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic.” “I stopped caring about the NBA long before the venture with China became a reality, but that only further enhanced my feelings about not caring about, nor watching, and never ever broadcasting an NBA game. I want no part of it.”

But James’ glowing review of his time in China will certainly help build back the frayed relations between the NBA and the Communist nation since Morey spoke out about the protests in Hong Kong in October 2019.

“The enthusiasm and kindness of Chinese friends deeply touch me, and all I can do is give my all in every game to express my gratitude,” he wrote in the paper, via Reuters. “I hope I can contribute to the development of Chinese basketball.”

The South China Morning Post also noted that James thanked his Chinese fans for their reception of him.

“Every time I come here, my family and I are warmly welcomed. I am deeply moved by the hospitality and friendliness of our Chinese friends. All I can do is give my all in every match and express my gratitude to everyone,” he wrote.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.