A simple tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey turned into an unprecedented crisis over the weekend, jeopardizing the league's territory and tying in the American spirit of national democracy and the importance of Chinese capital to the NBA. in.
What happened:On Friday night, US time, Morey sent out a tweet, writing "FIGHT FOR FREEDOM / STAND WITH HONG KONG" (FIGHT FOR FREEDOM / STAND WITH HONG KONG), expressing support for the people on the other side of the world, which has been spreading for months. of Hong Kong protests.
As soon as this article came out, it immediately caused an uproar in China. Morey quickly deleted the tweet, and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta also immediately made a public clarification, saying that Morey was certainly not speaking on behalf of the Rockets. The entire team There is no intention to get involved in politics.
On Sunday, U.S. time, Morey apologized and tweeted again, saying, "This is an interpretation based on a complex incident and is entirely a personal opinion." But the damage has been done, and the Chinese people - and even the glass-shattered hearts of enterprises - have long since responded. not going.
🗓2019/10/15 Update:LeBron James weighs in on the matter
The incident of Morey's "Support Hong Kong" tweet has continued to this day. It was originally thought that it would go away as China becomes more low-key; however, today LeBron James was once again interviewed about the incident, which has pushed the incident to another high point.
LeBron James said in an interview before the game that he and his Lakers teammates did not have enough information to comment on the situation in China. When it came to Daryl Morey's retweeted post supporting Hong Kong, LeBron James responded as follows:
"I think this is another situation that should be under the table... When we look at the context afterwards and understand what can be retweeted and what can be said, we will all say it is free speech. Yes, we will all have speech. Freedom, but when you only think about yourself and not others, sometimes there are negative consequences.
I'm not trying to get into a verbal confrontation with Morey. But I believe he spoke when he was not clear enough about the situation. As a result, many people are hurting—not just financially, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So we should be more careful about our tweets and words and deeds. Yes, we have freedom of speech, but freedom of speech does sometimes lead to negative consequences. "
"I believe he (Morey) either got the wrong information or is not really educated about it. If he is fully informed, so be it, but I don't know. I believe when you speak or When you do something, someone will be affected by it, and sometimes the overall situation will change completely. Therefore, social media is sometimes not an ideal way to deal with it, and this is what I believe."
🗓2019/10/09 Update: President Bo, Antetokounmpo, and Hillary join the ranks of supporters
Adam Silver held a press conference before the game in Japan and once again issued a statement expressing his position, "The NBA will not monitor what players, employees and team owners should and should not say on these issues. We cannot do that." Silver also said at the press conference that he would not apologize for Morey's remarks.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popvich also jumped out to support Silver's approach: "I think Silver is a very independent leader. His handling of the problem of the former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers (Donald Sterling) made the NBA very proud. Over the past few years, he has made the NBA very proud. Recently, I attended the New York Gay and Lesbian Parade, and when I turned around and saw a big float, Silver was on the float, and there was a sign supporting LGBTQ on it, I felt really good at that time," Popovich said.
"He (Silver) did an incredible job today by speaking out for free speech, and he's a tremendous leader in that regard and very brave. You compare that to what we've been through over the past three years. There's a big difference. There's a huge gap in terms of leadership and courage, and it's not easy for him, and I'm really excited for him that he's still able to stick to his principles in the face of possible financial losses. I think the courage and leadership that Silver showed throughout the entire incident was amazing."
Gregg Popovich, Spurs head coach
2019-18 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo He believes that the NBA has always allowed players and coaches to express their ideas freely.He also said that the NBA is a platform for freedom of speech..
Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said: "(In the United States) we will not be killed for saying what we believe in. At most, we will just disagree." Rivers believes that freedom of speech is the most valuable, "We can disagree, I can disagree with what you say. Anything, I have the right to do this, and I also have the right to say this, which is a good thing. What represents the United States is freedom of speech, and we should always have freedom of speech, but I often tell players that freedom of speech does not mean There are no consequences."
"You can have freedom of speech, but what you say may have consequences, which is why it's important to think before you act, think before you speak, because there may be consequences."
Hillary Clinton also wrote on Twitter that every American has the right to speak out and express support for democracy and human rights in Hong Kong.
Subsequent rebound:The most shocking thing is that Tencent Communications has spent nearly billions of dollars in recent years to extend its tentacles to the NBA and block all live broadcasts and reporting channels about the Houston Rockets. According to data, more than 500 million Chinese fans watched NBA games through Tencent last season. Tencent is basically their "League Pass", and the Rockets are banned across China.
As for the CBA, which is connected to the NBA, the current chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association is Yao Ming, one of the Hall of Fame stars in Rockets history.
In addition, according to a report by The Ringer, there is indeed discussion among the Rockets' front office about whether to remove Morey's black hat. People close to him revealed that Morey's resignation may not be far away; unless the NBA is willing to intervene and support he.
NBA’s response:NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will visit China this week to watch two warm-up games between the Lakers and the Nets; so things are expected to develop quite quickly. Currently, the league’s official statement is as follows:
"We understand that the sentiments expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey were deeply offensive to many of our Chinese friends/fans, which is regrettable.
However, Daryl has made it very clear that his post does not represent the Rockets, nor does it represent the entire league. The NBA's values support that different individuals can have an in-depth understanding of matters of interest and share their own opinions.
We have great respect for Chinese history and culture, and we also hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force, a bridge of dialogue for cultural differences, and to bring people with different opinions together. "
What other powerful people say:
Joe Tsai(Brooklyn Nets owner):I and Daryl has no friendship. I believe he is an outstanding NBA executive and he may not have received enough information, but the damage from this incident has been done and will take a long time to repair.
Ted Cruz (Texas U.S. Senator): As a lifelong Rockets fan, I am proud to see Daryl Morey calling for resistance to the oppressive behavior of the Chinese Communist Party... Human rights should not be weighed between two things; nor should the NBA encourage the Chinese Communist Party's ideological censorship.
Marco Rubio(BuddhaState Senator):NBA players can speak freely in the United States and speak out on political and social issues. But they have to apologize to China for a pro-democracy tweet. How hypocritical.
Andrew Yang,Democratic primary candidates for U.S. presidential election ) : The Chinese government’s ban on Rockets is a bad move.
Tom Malinowski (Representative from New Jersey): Big news: China is using their economic power to censor what Americans say in the United States. The NBA has absolutely no problem with players and employees criticizing its own government, but now it wants to apologize for criticizing the Chinese government. This is shameful and unacceptable.
Rick Scott(Florida Senator): The NBA clearly chose money over human rights. President Silver's statement is a joke.
The NBA has now "kneeled down" to Beijing for their bottom line and refused to stand in support of Hong Kong. It is really shameless!
Josh Hawley (U.S. Senator from Missouri): The Chinese government has put a million people in concentration camps and is trying to crack down on Hong Kong protesters, and the NBA wants to build a bridge for cultural exchanges? Build a bridge for cultural exchange?
