After he was banned from pro basketball in China, former UNC guard Ty Lawson speaks out
Ty Lawson says he wasn’t in a strip club. He says he meant no harm.
One day after being banned from the Chinese Basketball Association, former North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson took to Instagram to give his side of the story.
Lawson was banned for life from the CBA after inappropriate social media posts, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Lawson’s former team, the Fujian Sturgeons, also told the Chinese news service Xinhua it wouldn’t re-sign Lawson after “inappropriate words” that were “inconsistent with the social responsibilities and values abided by our club.”
Lawson, 32, posted two Instagram stories over the weekend, commenting on Chinese women’s bodies and photographing himself dancing with a woman. NBA sources told Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amico alcohol may have been a factor in the posts. Lawson’s post made references to his believing Chinese women had nice “cakes,” which is slang term for rear end.
Here is a link to a tweet that shows one of the posts. Be warned, it is a little graphic.
On Sunday, Lawson’s Instagram story — posts that have a one-day shelf life — gave his side of the events.
“I was told not to address this,” he said while walking around and shopping, “but I don’t know, I’ve got to speak up for myself. I’m probably the least racist guy you’ve ever met in life. ‘Cakes’ means she she has a nice body. That’s it. Everybody talking about, ‘Oh, Ty you’re racist! Oh my God, get him out of China.’ You’re taking it too far.
“I meant no disrespect and all the racism and disrespect coming towards me is wild. Everybody that knows me in China knows I’m not that person at all. I was literally saying that she had a nice body, and I danced at a club. It wasn’t a strip club. I wasn’t having sex in the club and disrespecting her. I didn’t do that.”
Lawson said he broke down the lyrics of a rap song by Lil Uzi Vert that uses the term for two Chinese friends.
“They didn’t know what he was saying, and what he meant,” Lawson said. “I was like, ‘Black people talk different.’ ”
A former first-round NBA draft pick and ACC Player of the Year at UNC, Lawson played three seasons in the CBA after stints with the Denver Nuggets and three other NBA teams. The point guard has struggled with alcoholism in the past and been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence.
Chapel Fowler contributed to this story
