The Houston Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong protests caused a negative response from the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). ESPN reports that CBA posted on their Weibo (Chinese alternative for Twitter) account that Morey had made “improper remarks regarding Hong Kong” to which it expressed its “strong opposition.”
It is reported that a CBA official said the organization will suspend cooperation with the Rockets.
Morey originally tweeted “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” But the tweet was soon deleted. The Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta denounced the tweet saying that his team is not a political organization. At the same time Fertitta called Morey the best GM in the NBA and expressed his support to him.
The Rockets had a strong connection with China due to Yao Ming who spent his entire NBA career in Houston. The cooperation continued this year as well as the Rockets hosted the Shanghai Sharks in a preseason game.
