Free speech at centre of debate as tweet furore goes beyond NBA’s status in China

Backlash over social media post by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting Hong Kong’s protests has escalated

But it has broadened to divergent narratives around freedom of expression

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The free speech debate differentiates the NBA case from others where companies have faced a backlash over their handling of sensitive issues in China. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:00pm, 9 Oct 2019Updated: 11:51pm, 9 Oct 2019

The fallout from a National Basketball Association general manager’s tweet in support of Hong Kong’s protests has done more than threaten the league’s place in the China market – it has thrown a major ideological difference into the mix.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey triggered a massive backlash in mainland China after he shared an image on Twitter expressing support for the anti-government protests in Hong Kong on Friday. It has since escalated into a conflict between China Central Television and the league itself, prompting CCTV to cancel a broadcast of two preseason games to be played in China this week.

But as the story has progressed, the conflict has become about much more than the tweet. Instead, it has become a battleground for divergent narratives around the concept of freedom of speech.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver refused to censure Morey over the tweet, saying on Tuesday that “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”.

CCTV hit back the same day, announcing that “any speech that challenges national sovereignty and social stability is not within the scope of freedom of speech”, echoing rhetoric commonly used by Beijing to justify control of online speech for the sake of maintaining state stability.

These opposing positions on free speech differentiate the NBA case from the numerous examples of foreign companies – from German carmaker Daimler to American hotel chain Marriott – that have issued apologies or retracted ad campaigns and marketing materials after a backlash from Chinese consumers for their handling of sensitive issues in China, like the Dalai Lama or the status of Taiwan.