The NBA’s most famous current player, LeBron James, has waded in to the ongoing fallout between the league and China with comments that are sure to spark controversy.

Lakers’ LeBron James on NBA’s China controversy: “I don’t want to get into a ... feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.” pic.twitter.com/KKrMNU0dKR — Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 15, 2019

The lucrative relationship between the league and China has been damaged since the Houston Rockets general manager, Daryl Morey, tweeted in support of anti-government protestors in Hong Kong earlier this month. Morey subsequently deleted the tweet but China has threatened to cut ties with the NBA, and some Chinese companies have backed out of broadcasts and sponsorship deals.

James was asked about the situation before his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, played the Golden State Warriors in a pre-season game on Monday. “I don’t want to get into a ... feud with Daryl but I believe he wasn’t educated about the situation at hand and he spoke,” James said. “Just be careful what we tweet ... even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech. But there can be a lot of negative that comes with that too.” James later said he meant Morey wasn’t educated on the repercussions of the tweet rather than the situation in Hong Kong. Law enforcement have used live ammunition on civilians after months of demonstrations in Hong Kong.

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. — LeBron James (@KingJames) October 15, 2019

“Let me clear up the confusion,” he wrote on Twitter. “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.”

James’s comments will be jarring to many, as he has been an eloquent voice on social issues and human rights – including police brutality within the US.

The NBA, which has won plaudits for encouraging its players to speak out on politics and social justice, has also struggled to handle the situation. The league’s commissioner, Adam Silver, has scrambled to repair the NBA’s relationship with China, which is worth tens of millions of dollars to the league and its players, while defending Morey’s right to free speech. According to ESPN, Silver held a meeting with Lakers and Brooklyn Nets players when the teams played a pre-season game in China last week. Many of the players are said to have been angry that they had to field questions from Chinese reporters on the fallout before Silver had done so. There may well be another source of anger among players: Yahoo Sports estimates that the dispute with China could depress the salary cap – and therefore NBA wages – by up to 15% next season.

“I feel like with this particular situation, not only was I not informed enough about,” James said on Monday. “I just felt like it was something not only myself or 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.”