Pols blast NBA for ‘kowtowing’ to China
The National Basketball Association on Sunday broke its silence on a brewing controversy between China and the Houston Rockets — and was promptly denounced by several Capitol Hill lawmakers and 2020 presidential hopefuls for "kowtowing" to the foreign power.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey waded into geopolitical tensions Friday, posting an image on Twitter that said “fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” in the midst of ongoing pro-democracy protests and clashes with police in the region.
He quickly deleted it, but Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta publicly rebuked him, and a Chinese sponsor and sportswear maker suspended working with the team, according to Reuters.
On Sunday, the NBA released its statement: “We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is 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,” it continued.
Immediately, politicians on both sides of the aisle took to social media.
“It’s clear that the @NBA is more interested in money than human rights. Tonight’s statement from Commissioner Silver is an absolute joke,” Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott tweeted, referring to Adam Silver. “The NBA is kowtowing to Beijing to protect their bottom line and disavowing those with the temerity to #standwithHongKong. Shameful!”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz defended the GM of his home state team: “As a lifelong @HoustonRockets fan, I was proud to see @dmorey call out the Chinese Communist Party’s repressive treatment of protesters in Hong Kong. Now, in pursuit of big $$, the @nba is shamefully retreating.”
Democrats, including former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and California Rep. Eric Swalwell, chimed in.
“China is using its economic power to silence critics — even those in the U.S.,” Castro wrote on Twitter. “The United States must lead with our values and speak out for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, and not allow American citizens to be bullied by an authoritarian government.”
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn retweeted him: “Julián, glad to agree with you on this one.”
Morey, for his part, addressed his initial tweet on Sunday, echoing the language in the NBA statement. The Rockets have strong support in China: Hall of Famer Yao Ming — now the chair of the Chinese Basketball Association — is a former player, and a recent digital study found the Rockets were the second most popular NBA team in China, behind the Golden State Warriors.
The GM tweeted that he had “a lot of opportunity” to hear other perspectives since posting the photo and that his views were his own.
“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,” Morey wrote.
