On Sunday afternoon, LeBron James added his name to the #FreeWOJ movement with a pretty hard to misinterpret tweet that said "#FreeWOJ!!!" with some fist bump emojis:
James' tweet comes during the same weekend in which it was reported that ESPN had suspended their star NBA writer/reporter Adrian Wojnarowski (see "Woj," which I'm pretty sure you already knew if you clicked on this) without pay after he sent an email saying "Fuck you" in response to a press release from Josh Hawley, a Republican U.S. Senator from Missouri.
That email was publicized/tweeted out by Hawley on Friday, and came after the senator addressed a letter to league commissioner Adam Silver asking why the NBA hadn't approved slogans in support of law enforcement and the military (or slogans critical of China's Communist Party) for players to wear on their jerseys when games are played later this month. The letter (which can be read here) also made a point to criticize the NBA for choosing to maintain their business relationship with China over advocating for Hong Kong.
In response to the blow-up, Wojnarowski put out an apology that was, well, probably nudged a little by the ESPN higher-ups:
His suspension is set to last for two weeks, according to reports.
Anyway, fast forward to Sunday and, in addition to James, several other players also expressed support for the reporter. Cue some more tweets:
Related Stories
From Adam Schefter to Woj: Ranking the Best Sports Media Bookshelves
From ESPN's Adam Schefter to NFL Network's Steve Smith Sr., here are the best in-home setups & bookshelves during the coronavirus outbreak.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski Apologizes to Missouri Senator for 'F*ck You' Email (UPDATE)
Adrian Wojnarowski has issued an apology to Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and ESPN after responding to the politician's email in a vulgar manner.
A Timeline of the Complicated Controversy Between the NBA and China
Following Daryl Morey's controversial Hong Kong ‘Freedom of Speech’ tweet, here is a timeline of the NBA’s complicated history in China.
