Opinion | NBA’s China crisis lingers as Houston Rockets banned on Tencent and CCTV refusing to show any games

CCTV still not planning on showing NBA games and Houston Rockets games still a question mark on Tencent

NBA crisis with the Communist Party not solved during the coronavirus pause and instead festers

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The NBA’s China crisis is going to start back up again when the season resumes on July 30. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:00pm, 14 Jul 2020Updated: 8:00pm, 14 Jul 2020

As NBA players settle into bubble life at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, fishing, golfing, playing video games and gearing up for the season’s restart on July 30, a festering question remains concerning the league’s biggest international audience.

Before the coronavirus engulfed the planet’s sporting landscape – pausing the NBA season on March 11 – the NBA was at odds with the Chinese Communist Party for one incredibly impactful social media post. On October 4, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters which erupted into an international diplomatic firestorm.

Hong Kong exploded into protests last summer after a now shelved extradition bill drew millions to the streets and started months of rioting and demonstrations. Now the city is being gripped by the controversial national security law, which came into effect on June 30 and was quickly used in arresting protesters.

Morey, who became public enemy number one overnight in China after his tweet, quickly deleted it and offered an apology, but the dam had cracked. The Chinese Basketball Association severed its lucrative ties with the Rockets, who famously drafted Chinese superstar Yao Ming in 2002.

Fans hold signs supporting Hong Kong during the second half of an NBA game between the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks last year. Photo: AP

Tencent, the NBA’s exclusive digital partner in China, having signed an extraordinary US$1.5 billion-dollar deal until the 2024-25 season, pulled preseason games from its platforms last October, but resumed showing them – except Rockets’ games.