Li Ning, the shoe company, and the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Card Center announced they were suspending partnerships with the Rockets. This now appears to have been burnt to the ground after just one misplaced tweet. With the NBA addressing severed ties w/ a Chinese bkb camp, I wanted to share this from Steve KerrI’m working on a piece abt coaches & their role in speaking up & Kerr, usually outspoken, admitted he didn’t like his comments re: China last yrI think this is honest reflection pic.twitter.com/6sPNVWWnVt, "I've learned of the last four years since I've been... [outspoken] the questions aren't always easy. LeBron James fanned the NBA’s China controversy on Monday, saying Rockets GM Daryl Morey “wasn’t educated” when he tweeted his support for pro-democracy protesters in … Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) Morey got into hot water when he sent a quickly deleted tweet, “Fight for Freedom. With Westbrook standing beside him, Harden said, “We apologize. They allow #China to punish a U.S. citizen for free speech in order to protect NBA’s market access in China. The Rockets, who drafted Chinese legend Yao Ming in 2002, are one of the most popular NBA teams in China, and have marketed themselves to a Chinese audience, and Morey’s tweet caused a backlash in China. And the Chinese Basketball Association reportedly canceled planned exhibition games between NBA G League teams scheduled to be held later this month in China because of the controversy. NBA Bar Races: Who has the best stats in Finals history? That's the one episode where I walked away shaking my head saying, 'What the hell was that?'". Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James drew outrage after stating that Morey "wasn't educated on the situation at hand" and those around the NBA should "be careful what we tweet and say and we do. I can’t ultimately run the NBA based on trying to satisfy everyone on Twitter.”. Morey got himself denounced by the Chinese consulate in Houston and by the owner of his team. “I don’t know Daryl personally. A proposal by Hong Kong to allow extraditions from the semiautonomous territory to China sparked the protests, which stem from a fear that Beijing’s leaders would seek to systematically pick apart the freedoms promised to Hong Kong when the former British colony returned to Chinese control in 1997. James Harden and Russell Westbrook, two of the NBA’s biggest stars, were asked about the issue during a practice in Tokyo. Then came the attacks. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.". If you follow your gut and your heart, you generally just speak your truth and y0u're going to feel good about it afterwards. Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has gotten his team in some hot waters following a controversial tweet pertaining to the on-going political battle between Hong Kong and China… Experts say there will be more pandemics—but you can prepare... How to Watch 'The Mandalorian' for free on Disney+, Wrap yourself in sherpa with 68% off select styles at Jachs NY.