A couple of weeks before the start of the 2019-20 NBA regular season,
the league finds itself involved in a controversy with China stemming
from a now-deleted tweet from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl
Morey. In the tweet, Morey gave a message of support to protesters in
Hong Kong who are currently involved in demonstrations that began in
opposition to controversial proposed legislation.To get more
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Morey’s tweet was met with considerable backlash from Chinese
authorities, while several different parties, including NBA commissioner
Adam Silver, have weighed in on the issue. The timeline of events has
been lengthy. Below is a rundown of how we got from Morey’s tweet to the
current situation between China and the NBA along with the latest on
this constantly evolving situation.
How did this all start?
On Oct. 4, Morey tweeted (and later deleted) support for the ongoing
protests in Hong Kong which began in opposition of controversial
legislation that would allow criminal suspects to be extradited to
mainland China. The protests have since expanded. The tweet read: “Fight
for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” Morey’s tweet showing direct
support for Hong Kong was viewed by some as criticism and/or opposition
to China’s political strategy and was not received well by Chinese
officials.
The Hong Kong protests initially opposed government legislation that
would allow people to be extradited to mainland China to face charges.
They are now generally pro-democracy protests that expand far beyond the
removal of the legislation. CBS News has you covered with the latest
news on all things related to the Hong Kong protests, including what the
protesters want from China beyond the removal of the legislation. The
protests are in their fifth month.
What backlash have the NBA and Rockets faced?
The backlash to Morey’s tweet was felt immediately by the Rockets and the league.
The Chinese consulate in Houston released a statement expressing its
“strong dissatisfaction” with Morey’s tweet, stating that “anybody with
conscience would support the efforts made by the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region to safeguard Hong Kong’s social stability.” Also,
Sponsors began to cut ties with the Rockets and the league as a whole:
Sportswear brand Li-Ning, which sponsors a handful of NBA players,
announced that it would suspend business ties with the league.
Tencent, the NBA’s exclusive digital partner in China, announced it will
suspend business relations with the Rockets. The company is offering
fans who bought a team-pass to watch the Rockets this season a chance to
choose a different team.
The Chinese Basketball Association has canceled planned exhibition games
with the NBA G League affiliates of both the Rockets and Mavericks
later this month in China, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Lakers-Nets exhibition game in Shanghai is still scheduled to be
played on Thursday, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. On Wednesday,
however, media sessions for both teams were canceled.
An NBA Cares event with Nets players in Shanghai was also canceled on Tuesday by the Chinese board of education.
Chinese state television CCTV said it would no longer air the Rockets’ preseason games in China.
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