At long last, LeBron James has spoken on the NBA’s China controversy.

And what he said Monday sounded a lot like what what the league’s other thought leaders have had to say — which is mostly nothing critical of the NBA with a side of pleading ignorance.

Except unlike Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry and Gregg Popovich, James saved a special shot for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and the tweet that launched an international incident on Oct. 5.

James ‘not informed’ about China situation

James made his long-awaited statement prior to the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason home game against the Golden State Warriors.

LeBron James on how he felt the NBA handled the situation in China and why he didn’t speak out pic.twitter.com/6DYCAs96IW — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 15, 2019

“I think when we talk about the political side, I think it’s a very delicate situation, a very sensitive situation,” James said. “Me personally ... when I speak about something, I speak about something I’m very knowledgable about, something that hits home for me, something I’m very passionate about. I felt like with this particular situation, there was something not only was I not informed enough about. I just felt like it was something that 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.”

LeBron’s statement sounds familiar

James’ sentiments echo those of Kerr and Curry, who have faced prior questions about the controversy. Kerr told reporters on Oct. 7 that “it’s easy to speak on issues that I’m passionate about and feel like I’m well-versed on” when explaining why he declined to comment on the issue involving human rights, freedom of speech and high financial stakes for the NBA.

Curry had a similar stance as his head coach, telling reporters on Oct. 9, “I just don’t know enough about Chinese history and how that’s influenced modern society today in that interaction to speak on it.”

Their comments turned heads as both are commonly outspoken on social and political issues, much like James.

James takes on Daryl Morey directly

But James wasn’t done. The NBA has caught significant flack for its handling of the situation, most notably deeming Morey’s tweet as “regrettable” for offending “many of our friends and fans in China,” a stance that appeared to prioritize the league’s significant financial interests in China over the plight of Hong Kong protesters and Morey’s ability to speak freely in his support of them.

Morey’s initial tweet read: “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.”

LeBron James spoke on the NBA's China controversy, echoing the sentiments of his colleagues while criticizing Daryl Morey. (Getty) More

James: Morey ‘misinformed’

When asked to comment on the league’s handling of the situation, James declined and instead pointed his criticism at Morey for being “misinformed.”

“I’m not here to judge how the league handled the situation,” James said. “I just think that when you’re misinformed or you’re not educated about something — I’m just talking about the tweet itself — you never know the ramifications that can happen. We all see what that did — not only did for our league but for all of us in America and people in China as well. Sometimes you have to think through the things that you say and may cause harm not only for yourself but for the majority of people. And I think that’s just a prime example.”

And to be clear that by “tweet,” he meant Morey’s tweet, James called out Morey by name, deeming Morey as “only thinking ... about yourself” while delivering a lesson on the hazards of free speech.

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

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