Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted out support for Hong Kong and their fight for freedom from China, which led to him being shamed by the Chinese government, according to the Daily Wire.
What We Know:
A bunch of us have shared this, but #ICYMI, here’s what @HoustonRockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted that offended his bosses and league officials pic.twitter.com/agjiLZjC2R
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 7, 2019
- Morey deleted the tweet but the damage was already done. The Chinese Basketball Association and various Chinese businesses moved to cut ties with the Rockets.
- NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass released the following 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… 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.”
- China is an authoritarian government with a huge basketball fanbase, the Rockets cutting ties with China leaves for a massive reduction in revenue which leads basketball fans over there to watch the Chinese Basketball Association instead.
- Morey started to backpedal on his tweet saying repeatedly that he apologizes and that he was just expressing his viewpoint.
1/ I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. 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.
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) October 7, 2019
- Many people came out to support/condemn Morey’s calls for Hong Kong’s freedom including Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Tilman Fertitta.
These protests have led to bloodshed on the side of the protestors and multiple people have been killed by Chinese police officers.
