LeBron says Morey 'wasn't educated' when he sent Hong Kong tweet

More than a week after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey ignited an international firestorm with his pro-Hong Kong tweet, NBA superstar LeBron James weighed in - sparking a controversy of his own.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) LEBRON JAMES SAYING:

"I think when we talk about the political side, it was a very delicate situation, a very sensitive situation."

Speaking in Los Angeles -- after the Lakers returned from their tour of China -- James said Morey was not "educated" on the conflict which has drawn months of protests, saying people should be careful what they tweet because "a lot of negative" can come with free speech.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) LEBRON JAMES SAYING:

"I feel like with this particular situation, it was something not only I was not informed enough about, I just felt like it was something that not only myself or my teammates or my organization had enough information to even talk about it at that point in time and we still feel the same way."

After receiving backlash online for his comments, James quickly sent out a damage control tweet saying:

"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 and The Lakers played two preseason games in China amid a tense standoff between the NBA and China over Morey's tweet.

All the usual media sessions with the players were canceled. And state broadcaster CCTV and Tencent refused to broadcast the games.

Meanwhile, Houston Rockets gear has disappeared from Nike and NBA stores in major cities throughout China.