"You're a Chinese finger puppet" - Colby Covington accuses LeBron James of hypocrisy

UFC welterweight Colby Covington has taken another dig at NBA legend LeBron James. This time, he has branded the basketball player as a "Chinese puppet" and accused him of hypocrisy.

Colby Covington has called LeBron James a hypocrite for his recent comments regarding using his platform to speak out about socially relevant issues like racism and police brutality.

Covington particularly reminded James about the time he drew widespread flak for refusing to comment on Hong Kong's democracy activists' protest against the Chinese government.

When are you gonna speak up about Hong Kong @KingJames? Oh that’s right, you can’t. You’re a Chinese finger puppet! You make millions playing a kids game & talk about “social justice” but have no problem paying Chinese women in sweatshops pennies to make your products. Slimeball. https://t.co/nPhD5OQEOC

— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) February 27, 2021

At the time, LeBron James also called NBA executive Daryl Morey’s support for the city’s protesters "misinformed" and "uneducated."

"I don’t want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and so many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally, spiritually," said James after playing a pre-season game for the LA Lakers in Shenzhen, China.

What transpired between LeBron James and Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently?

In a recent interview, LeBron James responded to football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic's criticism of him and other NBA players vocal about political matters. Ibrahimovic had claimed that sportspersons should stick to what they know best and refrain from commenting on sensitive social issues.

In response, James claimed that he would never cease to speak out on social causes. He said he understands how powerful his platform and voice are to further such causes.

“I’ll use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that’s going on around this country and around the world. There’s no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand how powerful this platform and my voice is.”

LeBron's response to Zlatan's criticism of his activism. pic.twitter.com/EZBdLY6KDP

— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) February 27, 2021

LeBron James further stated that he always does his homework before claiming something. Therefore, Ibrahimovic shouldn't be worried about him not having enough knowledge to speak out on social issues.

“He’s the guy who said in Sweden, he was talking about the same things, because his last name wasn’t a [traditional Swedish] last name, he felt like there was some racism going on. I speak from a very educated mind. I’m kind of the wrong guy to go at, because I do my homework.”

Is Zlatan Ibrahimovic right, or do you agree with LeBron James' take on the situation? Sound off in the comments.