AT A TIME of tensions and tariffs, LeBron James is harnessing basketball diplomacy as a way of finding some common ground for people in the US and China.

The NBA legend wrote a rare op-ed in Chinese state media, following his first visit to China since 2019, saying: “Basketball is not only a sport, but also a bridge that connects us.”

The op-ed appeared in Monday’s edition of the People’s Daily newspaper and got the attention of the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, which reported: “It is rare for the mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party to run articles carrying the byline of foreign sports stars. It is more common for international sporting heroes to connect with fans in China via Chinese social media.”

James was in China ahead of two NBA pre-season games next month in Macao between the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets, part of the league’s efforts to rebuild the brand in greater China.

The games on October 10 and 12 will take place more than five years after the league was effectively banned for a while in China over NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s decision not to punish Daryl Morey in 2019 for tweeting support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.

The geopolitical rift started when Morey, then the general manager of the Houston Rockets and now GM of the Philadelphia 76ers, tweeted support for protesters while the Nets and Los Angeles Lakers were in China.

The tweet was deleted quickly, but the fallout lasted years. No NBA games were shown in China for a year, and broadcasts of games only started returning regularly in 2022.

There’s been a series of moves toward a return to normalcy between China and the league, including a visit by Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox last year that drew enormous crowds. Curry returned for a visit last month.

Ahead of his 23rd season in the NBA, LeBron James was amazed by the reception he received in China last week.

“It’s super humbling for me to be able to come here, so far away from home, and get the reception and the love, I just wanted to pour it back to the community and to this country,” Xinhua, the official news agency, quoted the 40-year-old Lakers star as saying as he wrapped up his visit in Chengdu.