Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tried Sunday to defuse the rapidly growing fallout over his deleted tweet that showed support
for Hong Kong anti-government protesters, saying he did not intend to
offend any of the team’s Chinese fans or sponsors.To get more
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A short time after Morey posted that statement, the NBA said it was “regrettable” that the deleted tweet offended many in China. And all
that followed several companies in China, including some of the NBA’s
major business partners there, lashing out over Morey’s original tweet.
Morey tweeted an image that read “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” referring to the four-month-old protests in the semi-autonomous
Chinese territory. That led to Houston owner Tilman Fertitta turning to
Twitter to say that Morey does not speak for the Rockets, and sparking
an outcry that included the Chinese Basketball Association — whose
president is Yao Ming, the former Rockets star center — saying it was
suspending its relationship with the team.
Other criticism came from Tencent, a major media partner of the NBA in China with a streaming deal that is worth $1.5 billion over the next
five years, and Chinese state television — both of which said they would
not be showing Rockets games. It wasn’t immediately clear if Morey’s
new tweets or the NBA’s statement that followed would be enough to
salvage those relationships. Chinese athletic apparel maker Li-Ning
released a statement saying it was upset with Morey’s tweet.
“I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China,” Morey tweeted early Monday from Japan, where
Houston is playing this week. “I was merely voicing one thought, based
on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of
opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.
“I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset
will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention.
My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.”
NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass said the league recognizes that Morey’s tweet “deeply offended many of our friends and fans in
China, which is regrettable.” Bass added that the league supports
individuals “sharing their views on matters important to them.”"We have
great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports
and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides
and bring people together,” Bass said.
Earlier, Fertitta attempted to distance the team from Morey’s tweet with a Twitter post of his own:”Listen.@darylmorey does NOT speak for
the @HoustonRockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of
the @NBA internationally and we are NOT a political organization.”
The statements from Morey and the NBA caught the eyes of lawmakers, including no fewer than three U.S. Senators — Ted Cruz of Texas, Rick
Scott of Florida (who criticized NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for the
league’s statement, apparently unaware it was made by Bass, an NBA
spokesman), and Brian Schatz of Hawaii.
“We’re better than this; human rights shouldn’t be for sale & the NBA shouldn’t be assisting Chinese communist censorship,” tweeted Cruz,
who said he is a lifelong Rockets fan.Democratic presidential candidate
Julian Castro, a former U.S. Housing Secretary from Texas, tweeted
“China is using its economic power to silence critics — even those in
the U.S.”
The timing of this is particularly awkward for the NBA. China has teams in the U.S. playing preseason games this week, the Rockets are
about to play two games in Japan and the Los Angeles Lakers — with one
of the biggest global sports stars in LeBron James — and Brooklyn Nets
set to play Thursday in Shanghai and Saturday in Shenzhen, China.And
fostering strong relationships with China has been a priority of the NBA
for at least three decades.
The NBA has a China office, just announced plans to add a gaming team in Shanghai to the NBA 2K League, and officials in both countries say
as many as 500 million Chinese watched at least one NBA game last
season. Several NBA players — including major current and former stars
like Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant — go to China annually to promote
their individual brands, and the World Cup held in China this summer saw
countless fans attending in NBA jerseys.
