New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers poked fun at presidential celebrity endorsements recently and also may have taken a shot at Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who voiced his support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris prior to the election.
Aaron Rodgers makes fun of presidential celebrity endorsements & seemingly throws shade at LeBron James by saying, “My favorite is when the celebrity is bought and paid for by China” 😮
(via @PatMcAfeeShow HT @_MLFootball) pic.twitter.com/n8Pa3tpWEb
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) November 6, 2024
James was crucified on social media back in 2019 for his comments regarding the country. The controversy between the NBA and China seemingly began when Daryl Morey — who was the general manager of the Houston Rockets at the time — made a post on X in which he seemingly supported protestors in the Chinese city of Hong Kong.
Morey deleted the tweet not long after, but the technology company Tencent already decided that it would suspend Rockets games from being broadcasted. James criticized Morey for his social media post and claimed that he spoke about a situation that “he wasn’t educated on.”
Enes Freedom took multiple shots at James and his relationship with China earlier in the decade, and James even responded to the former Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder big man.
Additionally, former NBA player Royce White made a particularly bold claim regarding James and China in 2022. He said that the NBA’s oldest player received $1 billion from China so he wouldn’t speak out against the imprisoned Uyghurs that are held in concentration camps in the country.
James is approaching 40 years old, yet he turned back the clock with his performance in the Lakers’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 6. He finished with a game-high 39 points on great efficiency, as he buried 15 of his 24 shots from the field, including six of his 11 3-pointers.
Despite James’ heroics however, the Lakers lost to Memphis by 17 points and ended their five-game road trip with just a 1-4 record. Los Angeles started the season out with a 3-0 record but has since dropped to the .500 mark at 4-4.
James and the Lakers can get back above .500 with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena on Friday night.
