NBA

Hong Kong protesters slam LeBron James for comments about China, free speech

Furious Hong Kong protesters burned and stomped on LeBron James basketball jerseys on Tuesday as the Lakers superstar faced mounting outrage over his comments on their pro-democracy ­demonstrations.

Activists vented their fury by chanting profane slogans and holding up signs supporting Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, whom James on Monday called “misinformed or not really educated” for a since-deleted tweet of a meme that said “Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

At one protest on a Hong Kong basketball court, a doctored photo showing James in a Chairman Mao Zedong shirt was even taped to a backboard, prompting cheers ­every time a ball smashed against his face and dropped into the basket.

“People are angry,” said James Lo, a web designer who runs a Hong Kong basketball fan page on Facebook.

“Students, they come out like every weekend. They’ve got tear gassed and then they got gun shot, like every weekend. Police beating students and then innocent people, like every day. And then he just comes up with something [like] that. We just can’t ­accept that.”

Another protester, William Mok, drew applause from a group of demonstrators when he suggested that James — who protested the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin and supported former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem — was a hypocrite.

“Please remember, all NBA players, what you said before: ‘Black lives matter.’ Hong Kong lives also matter!” said Mok, a 36-year-old office worker.

Accusations of hypocrisy also peppered the deluge of criticism directed toward James on Twitter, where multiple commenters posted a 2018 message in which he commemorated the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

“-Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Everywhere- Our Lives Begin To End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter- #ThankYouMLK50,” James wrote at the time.

US Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tweeted that James’ attack on Morey was ill-informed and urged the athlete to study up on the issue.

“Having just been in Hong Kong — on the streets & with the protestors — this kind of garbage is hard to take,” he wrote.

“LeBron, are YOU educated on ‘the situation’? Why don’t you go to Hong Kong? Why don’t you meet the people there risking their lives for their most basic liberties.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a frequent critic of James, tweeted several attacks, including one that said it was “sad to see him join the chorus kowtowing to Communist China & putting profits over human rights.”

Former Knick Enes Kanter appeared to take several fadeaway shots at James in a series of tweets, including one that said “Wow dude!” with a face-palming emoji.

Another said, “SMH,” shorthand for “shaking my head,” while a third just featured an emoji of a nauseated green face.

Later Tuesday, Kanter, a native of Turkey, posted a nearly six-minute video about his outspoken criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including a 2017 Post front page with the headline “KNICK VS. ­DICTATOR.”

“Stand for FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY. Even if it means sacrificing EVERYTHING!!!” Kanter wrote.

In a Boston Globe op-ed last week, Kanter said his activism “carries a risk that includes death threats and ­arrest warrants.”

James addressed the spiraling controversy late Thursday afternoon, saying, “It’s a tough situation we’re all in right now.”

“I think, you know, when an issue comes up, if you feel passionate about it or you feel like it’s something you want to talk about, then so be it,” he told reporters at the Lakers training center in El Segundo, California.

“Also, I don’t think that every issue should be everyone’s problem as well.”

James also said he’s “always been welcomed with open arms” by China, where the Lakers played two preseason games against the Nets last week.

“I’ve been to China probably 15 to 20 times … to have this beautiful game that we all love to be able to bring people together in the most positive way.”

Additional reporting by Dante Jean with Post wires