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https://scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3031874/houston-rockets-daryl-morey-meant-no-offence-hong-kong-protests Politics
Houston Rockets’ Daryl Morey ‘meant no offence’ with Hong Kong protests tweet – but angry Chinese demand more
- US basketball team’s general manager posts conciliatory comments after earlier tweet prompts Chinese sponsors and broadcasters to cut ties
- Weibo users and state media call for further apologies as Rockets become the latest organisation to learn the cost of ‘hurting Chinese people’s feelings’
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey had appeared to show support for Hong Kong anti-government protesters in his initial tweet. Photo: AP
Chinese internet users, state media and businesses have reacted with disdain after the Houston Rockets basketball team’s general manager Daryl Morey backtracked on Monday for his earlier tweet in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong and the NBA issued an apology.
“I did not intend my tweet to cause any offence to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China,” Morey wrote in a Twitter post on Monday morning. “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 said that he “appreciated the significant support of [his] Chinese fans and sponsors”, adding that his tweets “in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA [the North American men’s basketball league].”
Morey posted an image, reading “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong” – a slogan frequently used by the pro-democracy protesters – on Saturday before quickly deleting it.
The NBA also released a statement in English on Monday morning in a bid to contain the fallout from Morey’s earlier tweet, saying it was “regrettable” that Morey had “deeply offended” the NBA’s large Chinese fan base.
“While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them,” it said in the statement, which was posted on its Weibo page alongside a Chinese translation.
“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 said.
But Morey’s latest comments and the NBA’s apology have apparently failed to appease his critics.
“Sorry, I was wrong, I still dare to do it next time,” one top-rated comment on China’s Twitter-like platform, Weibo, wrote, with a hint of sarcasm. “What you really respect is Chinese people’s money,” said another comment that received nearly 10,000 likes.
State broadcaster CCTV released a strongly worded commentary on Monday demanding Morey and the Rockets make a “sincere apology to the Chinese people”.
“We must admonish Morey’s two-faced methods: on the one hand he tries to rake cash from China while hurting Chinese people’s feelings on the other hand,” it said. “This will not do, and he is destined to pay the price!”
The Rockets’ following in China grew when Yao Ming (centre) played for them. Photo: AP
Similarly, Global Times, a nationalist tabloid published under the auspices of Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, also said it was not satisfied. “Morey responded, and did not apologise,” it said.
The Rockets’ sponsor Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, sportswear brand Li-Ning and the Chinese Basketball Association also announced they would cut all ties with the US team, while CCTV said it would not be airing the team’s future matches.
Even the Chinese consulate in Houston weighed in on Saturday with a strongly worded statement condemning Morey’s “erroneous comments”.
The team has had a huge following in China since Yao Ming – one of the country’s best-known athletes and now chair of the Chinese Basketball Association – joined them in 2002.
The team has more than 7.26 million Weibo followers, while Morey’s personal account has over 178,000 followers.
While the Rockets and the NBA tried to calm the storm in China, US lawmakers criticised them for what they saw as kowtowing to Beijing.
Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, characterised the statement by the NBA as “shamefully retreating”.
“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 $$, the @nba is shamefully retreating,” Cruz wrote on Twitter.
As a lifelong @HoustonRockets fan, I was proud to see @dmorey call out the Chinese Communist Party’s repressive treatment of protestors in Hong Kong.
Now, in pursuit of big $$, the @nba is shamefully retreating. https://t.co/7waMde5KrM— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 7, 2019
Representative Tom Malinowski, a New Jersey Democrat, also joined the chorus of criticism.
“An important story: China is using its economic power to censor speech by Americans in the US. And the #NBA, which (correctly) has no problem with players/employees criticising our gov’t, is now apologizing for criticizing the Chinese gov’t. This is shameful and cannot stand,” he wrote on Twitter.
The incident highlights the challenges faced by international companies and organisations in remaining true to their values while navigating the political sensitivities of the Chinese market.
The NBA has spent years to cultivate ties with China’s massive community of basketball fans, with its stars regularly promoting its activities in China. The league’s Weibo account has over 33 million followers, and its live match broadcasts in China regularly attract tens of millions of viewers.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, both NBA teams, are scheduled to play a preseason game in Shenzhen in southern China on Saturday.
Joe Tsai, the owner of the Nets, who co-founded the Chinese tech giant Alibaba, criticised Morey’s remarks in a Facebook post on Monday.
“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,” wrote Tsai, who added that Chinese territorial sovereignty was “non-negotiable”. As a team owner, Tsai is also a governor of the NBA board.
By Monday afternoon, the Alibaba-owned e-commerce platform Taobao appeared to have removed all merchandise related to the Houston Rockets. Search results for the team showed no products.
An Alibaba spokesperson confirmed to People’s Daily that this was the case, and was quoted as saying: “As Joe Tsai wrote in an open letter to all NBA fans on behalf of the Brooklyn Nets: 1.4 billion Chinese are closely united on issues involving China’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty. There is no bargaining room in this problem.”
Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.