Unlike LeBron James, Shaq actually has a spine.
If you love liberty and democracy, Shaquille O’Neal is your friend.
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal on Tuesday defended Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey for posting a tweet in support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong that kicked off an ongoing dispute between with league and its business partners in China.
The NBA’s business interests in China have been at a standstill since Morey’s Oct. 6 tweet generated backlash from Chinese fans and government officials. While the NBA defended Morey’s right to free speech, Commissioner Adam Silver said Beijing asked him to fire the Rockets executive, while Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James accused Morey of failing to consider the potential financial ramifications that could stem from his tweet.
Speaking on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” on opening night of the 2019-20 season, O’Neal said Morey was right to call attention to the Hong Kong protests.
“One of our best values here in America is free speech. We’re allowed to say what we want to say and we’re allowed to speak up about injustices, and that’s just how it goes. If people don’t understand that, that’s something that they have to deal with.” O’Neal said. “I just thought it was unfortunate for both parties and then you have people speaking when they don’t know what they’re talking about. But Daryl Morey was right. Whenever you see something wrong going on anywhere in the world, you should have the right to say ‘that’s not right.’ That’s what he did.”