Lebron James & Other NBA Players Rally Behind Adrian Wojnarowski Following Suspension
NBA players like Lebron James are displaying their support for veteran writer Adam Wojnarowski via twitter. The players began tweeting this following the breaking news that ESPN sports columnist Wojnarowksi has been suspended without pay for responding “f— you” to Missouri Senator Josh Hawley in an email. Wojnarowski’s actions were set off by Senator Hawley’s press release that detailed the letter he planned to send to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The letter’s contents criticized the NBA’s decision to allow players to wear social justice messages on their shirts to promote movements like Black Lives Matter. Furthermore it criticized the NBA’s apparent “censorship” of support for law enforcement and the Chinese government. Wojnarowski’s email response was released in a tweet by Senator Hawley in a screenshot on July 10th.
Don’t criticize #China or express support for law enforcement to @espn. It makes them real mad @Outkick pic.twitter.com/WJDxrotUBD
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 10, 2020
Following the outing, Wojnarowski released an apology calling his actions “disrespectful” and “a regretful mistake”. He publicly released an apology to both Hawley and ESPN. ESPN released a tweet later that day condemning his actions.
https://t.co/cHyqaxBLQC pic.twitter.com/b2gPBcNzS3
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 10, 2020
Despite ESPN’s reaction, the NBA players have banned together to show their support for Wojnarowski’s actions. Following the breaking news Saturday night, in the past couple of days, NBA players have begun circulating the hashtag #freeWoj.
#FreeWOJ!! 🤜🏻🤛🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 12, 2020
Tweets came from big names like Lebron James, Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Enes Kanter, Anthony Tolliver, Jamal Murray, Isaiah Thomas, Spencer Dinwiddie, Myles Turner, and Bam Adebayo.
Despite, the apology and flood of support, as of today, Wojnarowski continues to remain suspended for two weeks without pay.