847 × 1080https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/H...st-NBA-for-apologizing-to-China-over-HK-tweet
US lawmakers blast NBA for apologizing to China over HK tweet
Mainland boycotts Houston Rockets after general manager supports protests
NAOKI MATSUDA and MARRIAN ZHOU, Nikkei staff writers October 08, 2019 02:47 JST Updated on October 08, 2019 06:29 JST
The NBA's Houston Rockets gained a following in China after drafting star center Yao Ming, who played on the team for several seasons. © Reuters
SHANGHAI/NEW YORK -- Comments by the Houston Rockets general manager supporting the protests in Hong Kong have unleashed a political tornado, sparking a boycott in the mainland but also drawing harsh criticism of the National Basketball Association from American lawmakers for apologizing to China.
The incident thrust the Rockets, once beloved by the Chinese as former star Yao Ming's old team, and the NBA into the lion's den, forcing them to tiptoe around democratic values and freedom of speech with billions of dollars on the line.
Daryl Morey, the basketball team's general manager, posted a tweet Friday bearing an image that stated "Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." The now-deleted post sparked a firestorm of criticism online in China and prompted Chinese sportswear maker Li-Ning to suspend a partnership with the Rockets.
"We strongly criticize the post," Li-Ning said in a statement Sunday. "We firmly oppose acts that harm the national interest."
The cooperation deal mostly entails Li-Ning supplying the Rockets with basketball goods and buying advertisements during games.
Also on Sunday, the Chinese Basketball Association said it would suspend cooperation with the team as well, while state-run broadcaster CCTV announced it would cease airing games featuring the Houston Rockets.
Morey tweeted an apology Sunday night, saying that he did not intend to offend fans in China.
"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," Morey wrote. "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."
The NBA also released a statement the same day, saying that Morey's comments "deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China" and calling the incident "regrettable."
"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," Mike Bass, the league's chief communications officer, said in the statement.
James Harden, the Rockets' superstar guard, also apologized on Morey's behalf Monday.
"We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there," Harden said during an interview at a practice in Tokyo. "They show us the most important love."
The Chinese backlash and subsequent apologies set off a new wave of criticism, this time in the U.S.
Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted Monday that: "NBA players have no problem speaking out on politics & social issues in America. But they apologize to #China for a pro democracy tweet from an @NBA team executive. Hypocrites."
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who calls himself a "lifelong fan" of the Rockets, tweeted that he originally was proud of Morey for calling out "the Chinese Communist Party's repressive treatment" of protesters in Hong Kong.
But the senator said the NBA "is shamefully retreating" in the pursuit of money. He said "human rights shouldn't be for sale" and faulted the NBA for "assisting Chinese communist censorship."
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, also from the Rockets' home state of Texas, tweeted on Sunday night: "The only thing the NBA should be apologizing for is their blatant prioritization of profits over human rights. What an embarrassment."
Critics also noted that the NBA used different wording for its apology in Chinese, which it posted on the popular Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
"We're extremely disappointed in Morey's inappropriate comment," the Chinese post said. "He has no doubt deeply hurt the feelings of Chinese fans," it said. These words did not appear in Bass' original statement.
Mainland China has grown more sensitive over the Hong Kong protests, which are entering a fifth month. Any foreign-owned business expressing sympathy with the demonstrators has faced heavy censure.
Versace, Japanese sportswear label Asics and other clothing brands that do business in China have issued apologies recently after consumers criticized merchandise or online store locators that suggested Hong Kong is an entity independent from China.
Beijing frames the issue as an internal affair and accuses foreign parties in the U.S. and elsewhere of challenging Chinese sovereignty.
Joe Tsai, the Taiwanese-Canadian owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and co-founder of Chinese internet giant Alibaba Group Holding, on Sunday night posted an open letter on Facebook, saying that Morey stepped on a highly charged "third-rail" issue and explaining why the Hong Kong turmoil is sensitive for Chinese fans.
"The one thing that is terribly misunderstood, and often ignored, by the western press and those critical of China is that 1.4 billion Chinese citizens stand united when it comes to the territorial integrity of China and the country's sovereignty over her homeland. This issue is non-negotiable," Tsai wrote. "I am going into all of this because a student of history will understand that the Chinese psyche has heavy baggage when it comes to any threat, foreign or domestic, to carve up Chinese territories. When the topic of any separatist movement comes up, Chinese people feel a strong sense of shame and anger because of this history of foreign occupation."
"By now I hope you can begin to understand why the Daryl Morey tweet is so damaging to the relationship with our fans in China," Tsai continued. "I don't know Daryl personally. I am sure he's a fine NBA general manager, and I will take at face value his subsequent apology that he was not as well informed as he should have been. But the hurt that this incident has caused will take a long time to repair."
The Rockets are one of the most popular NBA franchises in China because the team made Yao Ming, the now-retired Shanghai-born center, the league's top overall draft pick in 2002. His presence transformed the sport's popularity across China.
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...na-adam-silver-protests-hong-kong/3913360002/
NBA sold its soul to China over cash. All it cost was its moral high ground
Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press Published 6:01 a.m. ET Oct. 9, 2019 | Updated 11:23 a.m. ET Oct. 9, 2019
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league wasn't apologizing for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's since-deleted tweet showing support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. (Oct. 8) AP, AP
CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
It’s easy to talk about social and political issues if your audience mostly agrees.
Call it the power of an echo chamber.
Which means that when the NBA brass decided to brand itself as a supporter of the freedom of expression it encouraged among its general managers, coaches and players, the league wasn’t risking much. The folks who were likely to disagree with the political opinions of, say, LeBron James or Gregg Popovich, weren’t going to be watching or buying tickets anyway — the NBA’s fan base leans left-center.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver arrives for a news conference before an NBA preseason basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Saitama, near Tokyo. (Photo: Jae C. Hong, AP)
This week, an employee of an NBA team stepped outside the echo chamber. Turns out supporting human rights has a price, even for the most “progressive” sports league in the country.
What the NBA has shown this week is that money matters more than principle. Look at its shoddy treatment of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
At issue is Morey's tweet last week supporting protesters in Hong Kong: “fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.”
Well, the Chinese government didn’t like it. Which means Chinese companies who do business with the NBA didn’t like it. Which means Chinese citizens didn’t like it, or so we’re told by the Chinese government.
Masked protesters march in Hong Kong on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. All subway and trains services are closed in Hong Kong after another night of rampaging violence that a new ban on face masks failed to quell. (Photo: Vincent Thian, AP)
Whether actual citizens in that NBA-loving country balked is beside the point. They don’t control whether games air on television. Media outfits such as Tencent do, a Chinese company that happens to have a $1.5 billion deal with the NBA to air league content.
After Morey’s tweet, Tencent announced it would not air Rockets games. And the Chinese Basketball Association, headed by former Rockets center Yao Ming, immediately cut ties with the organization.
In an authoritarian state, these moves were designed to appease the government. We may not like it. But this is China’s business.
FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2019, file photo, Yao Ming, head of the Chinese Basketball Association and former NBA player, watches as China and Venezeula compete during their group phase basketball game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing. Yao is now president of the Chinese Basketball Association, which announced over the weekend it is suspending its ties with the Rockets in retaliation for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's tweet that showed support for Hong Kong anti-government protesters. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) (Photo: The Associated Press)
What’s not China’s business is how Americans express themselves on Twitter. Or anywhere in the public sphere. Yet China’s reaction to Morey’s tweet has led to a kind of censorship on American soil.
Consider this quote from Adam Silver, the league’s commissioner, who told CNN last year that "I think part of the reason NBA players are more active is that it's been part of the culture of this league for generations and passed down to them ... (the) sense of an obligation, social responsibility, a desire to speak up directly about issues that are important (is) part of being an NBA player."
Those words sound hollow now, especially after the league issued a statement that called Morey’s tweet “regrettable,” though he wasn’t the only one from the league to acquiesce to the Chinese government.
An activist takes part in a protest in Hong Kong, on Aug. 20, 2019. (Photo: ROMAN PILIPEY, EPA-EFE)
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta was quick to tweet that Morey didn’t speak for the team. And Rockets star James Harden eagerly told reporters that he loved China, and loved playing there.
This isn’t to pick on Harden. The shooting guard felt the heat from the team’s owner — or governor, as they’re now called — and sensed a sudden shift from the league about expressing opinions. Besides, the unease extended far beyond Texas.
In San Francisco, the normally opinionated Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, refrained from comment, saying he wasn’t well-versed enough on the subject of the Hong Kong protests. That’s fine. Give him the benefit of the doubt.
But he surely sensed the hypocrisy coming from the league and could not have been happy with the way Morey was treated. Still, he stayed quiet.
Conservative politicians took notice. U.S. senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) slammed the NBA for its hypocrisy and for putting media contracts and potential markets above human rights.
In fact, so upsetting was the NBA’s response that politicians on the left agreed. Presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke issued blistering statements as well.
Both sides are right. China’s record on human rights is atrocious. And the NBA wants it both ways: to sell itself as an inclusive, progressive bastion while making barrels of money with the help of an authoritarian regime.
The league isn’t the only company facing the conundrum of doing business with China. And perhaps the reaction to the NBA’s mealy mouthed response will bring attention to the failed promise of Western capitalism loosening up a totalitarian state. After all, Google, Apple and other companies have been selling parts of their souls for years.
Yet at least those companies haven’t marketed themselves as moral watchdogs like the NBA has. Again, it’s easy to speak out when a couple of billion dollars aren’t at stake. And easy to brand yourself as a beacon of free expression when there isn’t fear of losing several hundred million customers.
Well, this week we saw what happened when the NBA stared down that threat. It blinked. Though at least the league realized what its response meant for its brand back home.
Silver released another statement Tuesday:
“I recognize our initial statement left people angered, confused or unclear on who we are or what the NBA stands for. Let me be more clear … for those who question our motivation, this is about far more than growing our business. Values of equality, respect and freedom of expression have long defined the NBA — and will continue to do so … the NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues. We simply could not operate that way.”
For the several days, though, it did. The league’s initial response went against everything it said it stood for. The backtracking in the latest statement from Silver may be sincere and heartfelt. It also may be the kind of cynical, circle-the-wagons reaction we saw from the NFL a few years ago when kneeling during the national anthem began to alienate a large portion of its fan base.
Wherever the NBA-China relationship goes from here, the league lost its high ground to the NFL and every other sports league in our country. In the end, it’s always about business. We can safely be certain of that.
Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.
https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20191008002611-260409?chdtv
NBA總裁：道歉且支持言論自由 陸網民：滾吧！
13:542019/10/08
中時電子報
盧伯華
美國NBA亞當．修華在日本向媒體澄清，莫雷言論對大陸球的影響已經造成，他對此感到遺憾，但NBA仍會支持莫雷表達自已的觀點，這兩者之間並不矛盾。（圖／美聯社）
字級設定：小中大特
NBA火箭隊總經理莫雷(Daryl Morey)涉港言論引發大陸官方與民間抵制，風波持續擴大，在NBA總裁亞當．肖華(Adam Silver)公開對此表態時，又發生媒體對其「道歉與否」有不同解讀。肖華因此再度澄清，NBA願意為莫雷言論對大陸的影響道歉，但仍會支持莫雷表達自已觀點的權利，這兩者之間並不矛盾。不過大陸媒體與網民們對其表態的仍不滿意，媒體與網民們甚至揚言：「再見了！NBA」。
據外媒報導，當莫雷言論引發大陸贊助商與媒紛紛與火箭隊解約後，NBA總裁亞當．肖華曾對媒體表示對莫雷言論在大陸造成的後果表示遺憾。但隨後媒體報導他向大陸「道歉」後，他特地在接受日本《共同社》採訪時進行澄清，表示不支持莫雷所說的話，但支持他發表意見的權利。
肖華在日本參加火箭隊的季前賽活動時表示，他承認莫雷為支持香港抗議運動而發布的推文給NBA在中國大陸的品牌造成了損害。
他說：「毫無疑問，經濟影響已經很明顯。那條推文已經產生了相當嚴重的後果，我注意到一些媒體暗示我們不支持莫雷，但實際上並非如此。」「我們是一個有價值觀的組織，我想明確表示，莫雷行使言論自由權利得到我們的支持。」
肖華表示，「我支持莫雷表達政治態度的自由，同時也支持蔡崇信（NBA籃網隊的台籍老闆，阿里巴巴元老）。我理解到這是非常複雜的局勢問題，很難在社交媒體說明清楚。在NBA的運作上，我也不可能讓推特上的所有人都滿意。」
https://www.dw.com/zh/nba风波未平-南方公园也向中国道歉/a-50732655
时政风云
NBA风波未平 《南方公园》也向中国「道歉」
NBA向中国低头之后公关危机并没有结束。许多美国政治人物对NBA的回应感到不满。这时以嘲讽时事闻名的《南方公园》也来参一脚，对于被封杀向中国另类「道歉」。
《南方公園》10月1日播放的第23季第2集「乐队在中国」（Band in China）提到許多中国敏感議題，包括公安虐待犯人，器官移植，媒体审查，和民众被迫歌頌共產黨。
(德国之声中文网) 在中美双方不同意见的夹击之下，NBA最新回应表示支持言论自由。NBA总裁萧华（Adam Silver）坚称，NBA支持火箭队总经理莫雷拥有表达个人意见的权利。
他说:「我认为，作为一个有价值观的组织，我想明确表示……达里尔·莫雷行使意见表达的自由是受到支持的。」他强调:「有些价值观从一开始就是这个联盟的一部分，其中包括言论自由。」
萧华本周将与其他NBA顶级球员前往中国，他说:「我接受中国政府和中国企业拥有对这些言论做出反应的权利，而且至少从我在NBA的长期经验来看，其中的一些问题需要花一些时间来解决。」
在美国国外，中国是火箭队最赚钱的市场，萧华也谈及其对火箭队和NBA的财务影响。他说：「毫无疑问，经济影响已经很明显。该篇推特文已经产生了相当戏剧性的后果。」
《南方公园》向中国「道歉」
动画喜剧《南方公园》周一(10月7日)在推特还有脸书向中国「道歉」。声明中写道:「像NBA一样，我们欢迎中国审查进入我们的家园和内心。比起自由和民主，我们也一樣更爱钱。 习(近平)根本就不像小熊维尼。请在本周三10点请准时收看我们第300集影片！中国伟大的共产党万岁！祝愿今秋高粱(諧音指器官)丰收！我们这样算和好了吗，中国?」
声明一开始还表示，这是來自《南方公园》创作者帕克(Trey Parker)與史东(Matt Stone)向中國发出的正式道歉。
根据《南华早报》引用《好莱坞报道》周一的报导提到，《南方公园》遭中国封杀，在互联网上的影片和讨论都已经被删除。 《南方公园》曾在10月1日发表的一集影片中提到中国审查维尼熊，以及维尼熊变成抵抗共产党及其领导人习近平的象征。《南华早报》也提到，迪士尼电影《挚友维尼》（Christopher Robin）去年甚至没有办法在中国上映。
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《南方公園》被禁 中國民眾怎麼看
NBA在中国有多赚钱
篮球是中国最受欢迎的运动。作为世界上人口最多的国家，中国14亿人口中大约有3亿人打篮球。自从NBA1992年在香港开设第一家办事处以来，一直持续在中国拓展业务。NBA已经与中国各地的许多电视和数位媒体合作，包括与中央电视台建立了长达10年的合作关系。NBA和中国串流视讯媒体平台腾讯之间的伙伴关系也一直延伸到2024-2025赛季。据ESPN报道，这笔交易价值15亿美元，
腾讯估计中国大约有5亿球迷在收看NBA相关内容。根据联盟关于球队数位化表现的年度报告，在2018-2019赛季，NBA在中国社交媒体平台上吸引了4千700万名新粉丝。
姚明也在2016年入选NBA篮球名人堂。
说到NBA在中国拓展的历史，不能不提到中国明星球员姚明。他在2002年选秀中被休斯顿火箭队以第一顺位选中后，就让该队在中国受到了更多关注。
根据《福布斯》，在2008年成立，负责在中国开展联赛业务的「NBA中国」现值已超过40亿美元。自2014年以来，已有17支NBA球队在北京、广州、澳门、上海、深圳等打了26场比赛。由四届NBA MVP勒布朗·詹姆斯（LeBron James）带领的洛杉矶湖人队将在10月与布鲁克林篮网队在中国进行两场友谊赛。
夏立民/羅法 (法新社、路透社等)
DW.COM
「反送中」推文惹议 休斯敦火箭遭中国封杀
美国职业篮球联盟休斯敦火箭队总管莫雷先前转发一则支持香港「反送中」的推文引發爭議，周一他出面为此道歉，表示没有意识到自己的推文冒犯了中国球迷。 然而，他的舉動沒有阻止中国驻休斯敦领事馆及运动品牌「李宁」发表谴责他的聲明。 (07.10.2019)
相关音频视频
《南方公園》被禁 中國民眾怎麼看
Https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20191008002611-260409?chdtv
NBA President: Apologize and support freedom of speech. Lu netizens: Let's go!
13:542019/10/08
Zhongshi News
Lu Bohua
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American NBA Adam. Xiuhua clarified to the media in Japan that the influence of Morey's remarks on the mainland ball has already been caused. He regrets this, but the NBA will still support Morey to express his own views. There is no contradiction between the two. (Photo / Associated Press)
American NBA Adam. Xiuhua clarified to the media in Japan that the influence of Morey's remarks on the mainland ball has already been caused. He regrets this, but the NBA will still support Morey to express his own views. There is no contradiction between the two. (Photo / Associated Press)
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NBA Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's talks in Hong Kong triggered official and civil boycotts in the mainland, and the storm continued to expand, in the NBA president Adam. When Adam Silver publicly stated his position, there was another interpretation of the media's "apology or not." Xiao Hua therefore reaffirmed that the NBA is willing to apologize for the influence of Morey's remarks on the mainland, but will still support Morey's right to express his views. There is no contradiction between the two. However, mainland media and netizens are still dissatisfied with their statements. The media and netizens even threatened: "Goodbye! NBA."
According to foreign media reports, when Morey’s remarks triggered mainland sponsors and media to cancel the contract with the Rockets, NBA president Adam. Xiao Hua once expressed regret to the media about the consequences of Morey's remarks on the mainland. However, after the media reported that he had "apology" to the mainland, he specifically clarified in an interview with Japan's "Kyodo News", saying that he did not support what Morey said, but supported his right to express his opinions.
In a pre-season event at the Rockets in Japan, Xiao Hua said he admits that Morey’s tweet to support the Hong Kong protest movement has hurt the NBA’s brand in mainland China.
He said: "There is no doubt that the economic impact is already obvious. That tweet has already produced quite serious consequences. I have noticed that some media have suggested that we do not support Morey, but it is not." "We are one. The organization of values, I want to make it clear that Morey’s right to exercise freedom of speech is supported by us."
Xiao Hua said, "I support Morey's freedom to express political attitudes, and also support Cai Chongxin (the Taiwanese boss of the NBA Nets, Alibaba veteran). I understand that this is a very complicated situation and it is difficult to socialize. Explain clearly. In the operation of the NBA, I can't make everyone on Twitter very satisfied."
https://www.dw.com/en/nba风波未平-南方 %E5%85%AC%E5%9B%AD%E4%B9%9F%E5%90%91%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E9%81%93%E6%AD%89/a -50732655
Current situation
The NBA is in turmoil. South Park also apologizes to China.
The public relations crisis did not end after the NBA bowed to China. Many American politicians are dissatisfied with the NBA's response. At this time, "South Park", which is famous for ridiculing current events, also came to the forefront and "apologized" to China for being banned.
US-Serie South Park (Getty Images)
"South Park" released on the 1st of October, the second episode of "The Band in China" mentioned many Chinese sensitive issues, including police abuse of prisoners, organ transplants, media censorship, and the people were forced to sing praises to the Communist Party. .
(German Voice Chinese Network) Under the attack of different opinions between China and the United States, the NBA's latest response expressed support for freedom of speech. NBA president Adam Silver insists that the NBA supports the Rockets general manager Morey to have the right to express personal opinions.
He said: "I think that as an organization with values, I want to make it clear that...the freedom of Daryl Morey to express his opinions is supported." He stressed: "Some values have been the alliance from the beginning. Part of it, including freedom of speech."
Xiao Hua will travel to China with other top players in the NBA this week. He said: "I accept the Chinese government and Chinese companies have the right to respond to these comments, and at least some of my problems in the NBA's long-term experience. It takes some time to solve."
Outside the United States, China is the most profitable market for the Rockets, and Xiao Hua also talks about its financial impact on the Rockets and the NBA. He said: "There is no doubt that the economic impact is already obvious. The tweet has produced quite dramatic consequences."
"South Park" apologizes to China
The animated comedy "South Park" Monday (October 7th) on Twitter and Facebook to "apology" to China. The statement reads: "Like the NBA, we welcome China's censorship into our homeland and our hearts. We love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi (Ji Ping) is not like Winnie the Pooh. Please be this week. 3:10, please watch our 300th episode on time! Long live the great Communist Party of China! Wishing you a good harvest this autumn (harmony refers to the organ)! Are we doing this well, China?"
The statement also said at the beginning that this was a formal apology from South Africa Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to China.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post quoted "Hollywood Report" on Monday, "South Park" was blocked by China, and films and discussions on the Internet have been deleted. "South Park" mentioned in a film released on October 1 that China censored the Winnie the Pooh and that the Winnie the Pooh became a symbol of resistance to the Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post also mentioned that the Disney film "Christopher Robin" did not even have a way to release it in China last year.
Watch the video 01:35
"South Park" was banned
How much money does the NBA make in China?
Basketball is China's most popular sport. As the most populous country in the world, about 300 million of China's 1.4 billion people play basketball. Since the NBA opened its first office in Hong Kong in 1992, it has continued to expand its business in China. The NBA has partnered with many TV and digital media across China, including a 10-year partnership with CCTV. The partnership between the NBA and Tencent's video media platform in China has also extended to the 2024-2025 season. According to ESPN, the deal is worth $1.5 billion.
Tencent estimates that about 500 million fans in China are watching NBA-related content. According to the league's annual report on the digital performance of the team, in the 2018-2019 season, the NBA attracted 47 million new fans on the Chinese social media platform.
Chinas NBA-Star Yao Ming (picture-alliance/dpa)
Yao Ming was also selected to the NBA Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Speaking of the history of the expansion of the NBA in China, we must not mention the Chinese star Yao Ming. After being selected by the Houston Rockets in the 2002 draft with the first overall pick, he gave the team more attention in China.
According to Forbes, established in 2008, the current value of NBA China, which is responsible for conducting league business in China, has exceeded $4 billion. Since 2014, 17 NBA teams have played 26 games in Beijing, Guangzhou, Macau, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by four NBA MVP LeBron James, will play two friendly matches with the Brooklyn Nets in China in October.
Xia Limin / Luo Fa (AFP, Reuters, etc.)
DW.COM
"Reverse delivery" tweet provoked Houston rockets blocked by China
The US professional basketball league Houston Rockets director Morey previously forwarded a controversy to support Hong Kong's "reverse delivery" tweet. He apologized on Monday for not acknowledging that his tweets offended Chinese fans. However, his move did not prevent the Chinese consulate in Houston and the sports brand "Li Ning" from issuing a statement condemning him. (07.10.2019)
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