Laura 'Shut Up and Dribble' Ingraham Now Suddenly Wants NBA Stars to Speak Up

The National Basketball Association has found itself the target of intense criticism across the political spectrum for kowtowing to the Chinese government after Houston Rockets general manager Darryl Morey expressed support for Hong Kong protesters. On the right, one of the loudest critics of the league’s apology to China has been Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

Apparently, for Ingraham, NBA stars should absolutely speak up on hot-button issues. But only on the topics she deems permissible.

Last year, Ingraham made headlines and inspired the title of LeBron James’ documentary when she called on the NBA mega-star to “shut up and dribble” instead of talking about politics.

Ingraham—who also once wrote a book called Shut Up and Sing—said during the Feb. 2018 segment that James’ commentary about President Trump was “barely intelligible” and complained that people were taking it “seriously,” demanding instead that he keep his political remarks to himself.

Though the Fox host’s comments echoed a common theme of right-wing commentary—that celebrities, musicians, and actors, most of whom skew liberal, should not talk politics—quickly sparked widespread backlash and near-universal condemnation... But now, Ingraham is calling on NBA stars and coaches to get political and speak out against China. During a lengthy monologue on Monday night, the right-wing pundit lambasted the silence from some of the league’s most outspoken stars, notably taking issue with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who has been highly critical of Trump in the past.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/laura-shut-up-and-dribble-ingraham-now-suddenly-wants-nba-stars-to-speak-up