Nets Owner Joe Tsai Writes Open Letter to NBA Fans After Daryl Morey China Tweet
Brooklyn Nets governor Joe Tsai wrote an open letter to NBA fans Monday responding to the comments made about China and Hong Kong by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
In a since-deleted tweet, Morey had expressed support for the Hong Kong protestors, writing, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." But after severe backlash from China and the Chinese Basketball Association, Morey apologized for his remarks:
"The Chinese basketball association has expressed strong opposition to the remarks, and will suspend communication and cooperation with the Houston Rockets club," the CBA said in a statement following Morey's tweet, per Saheli Roy Choudhury of CNBC.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the league also canceled G League games scheduled for later in October:
While both the NBA and Rockets governor Tilman Fertitta apologized for the remarks, the fallout also extends to the Rockets' business ties in China. CCTV 5, China's top state broadcaster, announced it would stop broadcasting Houston games, while Tencent Sports said it wouldn't stream those games, per Laura He of CNN.
Additionally, Chinese companies Li-Ning Company and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank each announced over the weekend they would no longer be partnering with the Rockets.
While Morey's comments raised the ire of China, the NBA's decision to apologize for Morey's remarks has been met with backlash in the United States:
According to the BBC, the protests in Hong Kong have stemmed in response to "proposals to allow extradition to mainland China. Critics feared this could undermine the city's judicial independence and endanger dissidents. A former British colony, Hong Kong has some autonomy and more rights than the mainland under a 'one country, two systems' deal."
While the bill that would have allowed extradition has since been withdrawn, tensions have continued to escalate and encounters between police and protestors have grown more violent.
