The National Basketball Association’s relationship with China is fraying to tatters despite efforts from high-profile players and officials working to smooth things over with their communist benefactors.

It all started with Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s Twitter post last Friday: “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” The tweet sparked a financial fallout for the NBA in China that’s forcing players to choose between the social justice principles they regularly preach to Americans and their own financial interests in the world’s largest market.

LeBron James made it clear he’s on Team China and believes Morey needs an education during a recent news conference, but plenty of other players and coaches have also weighed in, either by apologizing to China or refusing to acknowledge the fight for freedom in Hong Kong at all.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was among the first to provide cover for China by likening the country’s widespread human rights abuses, censorship and religious persecution to “human rights abuses” of mass shooters in the U.S.

Kerr flipped the script to gun violence when asked if he ever discussed human rights abuses during his numerous trips to China, where top NBA sponsors cut ties with the league following Morey’s remarks last week, Newsweek reports.

“No. Nor has (America’s) record of human rights abuses come up either,” Kerr said. “People in China didn’t ask me about, you know, people owning AR-15s and mowing each other down in a mall.”

Kerr later said he couldn’t discuss China’s crackdown and censorship in Hong Kong because he didn’t understand the situation.

“I think it makes more sense to lay low,” he said.

Star guard Steph Curry followed Kerr’s lead.

“This situation, there’s a huge weight and gravity to it. There’s going to need to be some things to be sorted out. But I just don’t know enough about Chinese history and how that’s influenced modern society … So we’ll have to come back to it,” Curry, whose lucrative deal with Under Armour hinges on production in China, told reporters.

Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich seems to have taken a similar approach, preferring to avoid confrontation to preserve the league’s $4 billion in business in the communist country, Fox Business reports.

Popovich refused to discuss Hong Kong’s fight for freedom, China’s human rights abuses or the deteriorating relationship with the NBA. After Morey’s tweet, sponsors dropped out, promotions for exhibition games with the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets were removed, local sponsorshjp deals scrapped, and fan events canceled, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Instead of addressing real issues, Popovich praised NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s response to the controversy, which was to apologize to China and distance the league from Morey. Silver said he would stand by Morey’s freedom of speech, but stressed the GM’s opinion doesn’t represent the NBA or the Houston Rockets.

Popovich compared Silver’s kowtowing to China to Trump’s tough stance on trade.

“(Silver) stood by our nation and its principles. That’s pretty huge in these days,” Popovich said, comparing Silver to Trump. “ … That comparison was pretty stark when you put our president up against those leaders when he’s with them or talking to him and how he reacts compared to the way Adam Silver reacted. I was proud of him. It was great.”

Houston Rockets star James Harden, meanwhile, initially apologized to China for Morey’s remarks, ESPN reports.

“We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there,” he said. “They show us the most important love.”

Harden said this week that he’s now “staying out of it,” according to USA Today.

James, arguably the league’s biggest superstar and social justice warrior in the U.S., couldn’t help himself Monday night, when he took a pot shots at Morey.

“I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand, and he spoke,” James said. “So many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally, spiritually.”

“I believe he was either misinformed or not really educated on the situation, and if he was, then so be it,” James said. “I have no idea, but that is just my belief.”

“And also social media is not always the proper way to go about things as well, but that’s just my belief,” he said.

James’ comments were met with fierce backlash from supporters of freedom and democracy in both Hong Kong and the U.S., including many that pointed out that James is more than willing to preach to his followers over Twitter when the issues involve social justice in the U.S.

“I really cannot believe that someone from the U.S. would not cherish the precious freedom of speech they have,” wrote one user on the online platform LIHKG used by Hong Kong protestors.

“Has he been brainwashed by the Chinese Community Party’s fake news or has been bought?” wrote another.

Others simply retweeted James’ own words from Jan. 15, 2018: “Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Everywhere – Our Lives and Begin To End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter.”