LeBron James did not pen an op-ed for Chinese state media, according to reports
LeBron James attends a Nike event during his 2025 China Tour on September 4 in Shanghai.
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — The story of LeBron James penning an op-ed for Chinese state media, focusing on how basketball could be an avenue for diplomacy amid tensions with the US, was not as it seemed.
Multiple Chinese state media outlets this week published an article purportedly written by the Los Angeles Lakers superstar titled “Basketball is a Bridge Connecting Each Other.” The article was subsequently picked up by international media outlets.
However, one of James’ representatives said he made the comments attributed to him during media sessions but that he did not write the op-ed, the Associated Press reported.
CNN Sports has reached out to James’ representatives for comment.
The article first appeared on September 8 in The People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of China’s communist party, with a byline featuring LeBron James’ Chinese name.
At the bottom of the article, The People’s Daily also wrote: “The author is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. This article was compiled from an interview by our reporter Wang Liang.”
Other Chinese state media outlets then followed with their own reports saying James had written the article.
James was on a tour to China this week and his comments to state media come amid heightened tensions between the US and China.
Donald Trump fired a warning to Chinese president Xi Jinping last week after the latter hosted leaders of Russia and North Korea at a military parade in Beijing.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” Trump wrote in a message to Xi.
In a recent meeting with world leaders, a White House official also said that Trump called on European leaders to put “economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts.”
NBA rebuilding China ties
James’ comments also come at a time when the NBA is seeking to strengthen its relationship with China after a diplomatic feud in 2019.
In a now-deleted tweet, then Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey showed support for pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong while huge and sometimes violent democracy protests were taking place in the city.
Several Chinese businesses subsequently cut ties with the Rockets and the NBA came under severe pressure from Chinese authorities.
The league initially distanced itself from Morey’s tweet, expressing regret for offending “friends and fans in China” but this led to further criticism that it was compromising its principles to further financial interests.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver later came out in support of Morey in terms of his freedom of expression, while many politicians in the US urged the NBA to stand its ground.
Chinese state-run television network CCTV stopped airing NBA games in the country as a result, with the hiatus coming to an end in 2020.
In a bid to keep rebuilding the relationship, China is set to host two NBA preseason games in October between the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets.
Clarification: A previous version of this article used reporting by the Associated Press which has since been withdrawn. This story has been updated with CNN’s own reporting.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Nectar Gan contributed to this report.
