LeBron James believes Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey 'was either misinformed or not really educated on the situation' when he tweeted in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar broke his silence as the team returned home from a week-long tour of China which has been dominated by backlash at Morey's incendiary tweet.

'Yes, we do have freedom of speech,' James said. 'But at times, there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others, when you only think about yourself. 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, and he spoke.'

James's Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets were thrust into the controversy when the clubs arrived in China last week to play two exhibition games on Thursday and Saturday amidst turmoil after Morey tweeted a graphic that said, 'Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.'

Lebron James spoke out for the first time on the NBA's China controversy Monday night

Daryl Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests on October 4, writing: 'Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong'

Morey's tweet was in support of the protesters fighting a move by China that would allow extraditions from Hong Kong to mainland China.

Human rights has long been an issue in China well before the former British colony returned to mainland control in 1997.

Hong Kong has been rocked since June by protests that were ignited by a now-scrapped plan to officially allow extraditions, but snowballed into a movement calling for more democratic freedoms and police accountability.

James said Morey 'was either misinformed or not really educated on the situation' regarding the potential consequences of his tweet

James said Morey was thinking of himself when he made his comment.

'So many people could have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually,' the Lakers star continued.

'So just be careful what we tweet and what we say and what we do. Even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech, it can be a lot of negative that comes with it.'

James added: 'I believe [Morey] was either misinformed or not really educated on the situation, and if he was, then so be it.'

A typical NBA preseason promotional swing through Shanghai and Shenzhen became something else when Daryl Morey (left) tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protesters while the Lakers were in the air on their 13-hour flight to China. NBA commissioner Adam Silver (right) stressed last week that he regrets Chinese NBA fans are upset, but would not apologize for Morey's tweet

During his Monday interview, when asked about his thoughts on the political side of the events in China, Lebron James echoed Warriors coach Steve Kerr's (pictured) belief that he wasn't educated enough to comment on the situation

James' comments set off swift reaction on social media, with many listeners perceiving his comments as criticism of the democracy movement in Hong Kong.

James addressed the issue again in two tweets before the Lakers' preseason game against Golden State at the Staples Center.

He tweeted: 'Let me clear up the confusion. I do not believe there was any consideration for the consequences and ramifications of the tweet. I'm not discussing the substance. Others can talk about that.'

'My team and this league just went through a difficult week. I think people need to understand what a tweet or statement can do to others. And I believe nobody stopped and considered what would happen. Could have waited a week to send it.'

During the interview, when asked about his thoughts on the political side of the events in China, James echoed Warriors coach Steve Kerr's belief that he wasn't educated enough to comment on the situation.

'When I speak about something, I speak about something I am very knowledgeable about, something that hits home for me, something that I am very passionate about,' James said. 'I felt like with this particular situation, it was something that not only was I not informed enough about, I just felt like it was something that not only myself and my teammates or our organization had enough information to even talk about it at that point in time, and we still feel the same way.'

James didn't play when the Lakers hosted the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on Monday night, just two days after they returned home from their bizarre trip to China.

When asked about the substance of Morey's tweet, James said: 'I felt like with this particular situation, it was something that not only was I not informed enough about, I just felt like it was something that not only myself and my teammates or our organization had enough information to even talk about it at that point in time, and we still feel the same way'

James has a lifetime endorsement deal worth tens of millions with Nike, which does big business in China

A typical NBA preseason promotional swing through Shanghai and Shenzhen became something else when Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protesters while the Lakers were in the air on their 13-hour flight to China.

The Lakers landed amid outrage with Morey's since-deleted tweet and the NBA in general. The league and Chinese authorities decided to hold no media availability or community events with the Lakers or the Brooklyn Nets, their opponents.

The Lakers passed their week in China in public silence. Although the exhibition games weren't canceled, the league claimed it would be unfair to ask players and coaches to speak on the delicate geopolitical argument in which they found themselves involuntarily enmeshed.

So the players spent most of the week in hotels or on the court, with two NBA Cares events, a fan event and other public appearances all canceled by the league or the government. Several companies and state-run offices reportedly severed their ties with the NBA over Morey's tweet and the league's response to it.

James has a lifetime endorsement deal worth tens of millions with Nike, which does big business in China. James has made about a dozen trips to China with Nike.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver stressed last week that he regrets Chinese NBA fans are upset, but would not apologize for Morey's tweet.

'I don't come here, either as the commissioner of the NBA or as an American, to tell others how they should run their governments,' Silver said.

'We're not apologizing for Daryl exercising his freedom of expression.'

As for having NBA telecasts pulled from Chinese television, Silver said, 'It's unfortunate, but if that's the consequences of us adhering to our values, we still feel it's critically important we adhere to those values.'