[Saba Sports News] LeBron James recently made headlines for his visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this month. While some fans playfully speculated about his potential move to the Middle East, not everyone welcomed the Los Angeles Lakers star’s visit.
Footage of James’ trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia quickly circulated on social media. His visit followed a playful remark he had made about signing a lucrative one-year contract to play in the oil-rich nation.
Predictably, the visit stirred mixed reactions online due to Saudi Arabia’s well-documented human rights violations. James, known for his advocacy on social justice issues, faced criticism for the visit from Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of the slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Cengiz expressed her disappointment, emphasizing that athletes are not just athletes; they serve as moral examples to their fans. She lamented that some people forget this when making their choices.
Khashoggi, Cengiz’s fiance, was a prominent dissident who opposed the Saudi regime. He was tragically assassinated in 2018 on the orders of the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
This isn’t the first time that James has been accused of having a double standard on social issues.