How Much Did Daryl Morey Cost the NBA?

Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets GM, created quite a stir when he tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protesters. Find out how much his support cost the NBA.

The NBA’s China Problem

The NBA’s history in China

The NBA has had a presence in China since 1987, when the Houston Rockets played a pair of exhibition games in Beijing and Shanghai. The games were the first ever played in China by an NBA team, and they paved the way for further exchanges between the league and Chinese basketball fans.

In 2002, the NBA launched its first official training camp in China, and over the next decade, the league continued to grow its footprint in the country. By 2012, the NBA had over 200 million fans in China, and it was estimated that there were more than 300 million people playing basketball in the country.

However, the NBA’s relationship with China began to sour in 2019, when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. Morey’s tweet set off a diplomatic firestorm between China and the NBA, which quickly led to Chinese businesses suspending their partnerships with the league.

The incident cost the NBA millions of dollars in lost revenue, and it also damaged the league’s reputation among Chinese fans. In 2020, things took another turn for the worse when a number of high-profile players spoke out against human rights abuses in Xinjiang province. These comments resulted in even more financial losses for the NBA, as well as more bad publicity.

Looking ahead, it remains to be seen how well the NBA will be able to recover from its recent problems in China. However, one thing is clear: The league has lost a lot of ground in China over the past year or so, and it will take time and effort to win back its Chinese fans.

The NBA’s current relationship with China

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is facing significant backlash in China after a Houston Rockets executive tweeted support for the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.

The tweet, by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, read: “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” He later deleted the tweet, but the damage was already done.

The Chinese government, as well as various businesses and organizations within the country, have cut ties with the NBA. The league has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in potential revenue as a result.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has issued a statement saying that the league “will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or believe.” Silver also said that while he understands that there are “enormous consequences” to Morey’s tweet, the NBA will not be apologizing.

This stance is likely to further alienate the Chinese government and businesses, and could have long-term implications for the NBA’s presence in China.

Daryl Morey and the Houston Rockets

Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets General Manager, created quite a stir when he tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protesters. This resulted in the Rockets losing sponsorships from Chinese companies, as well as the Chinese government pulling NBA games from state-run television. While Morey has since deleted the tweet and issued an apology, the damage has been done. It remains to be seen how much this will cost the NBA in the long run.

Who is Daryl Morey?

Daryl Morey is the general manager of the Houston Rockets. He is also the president of basketball operations for the Rockets. In these roles, he is responsible for the management and building of the Rockets roster as well as overseeing all aspects of the team’s basketball operations.

Morey has been with the Rockets since 2007, and under his leadership, the team has become one of the NBA’s most successful franchises. In that time, Morey has helped to build a roster that includes two MVPs (James Harden and Russell Westbrook), multiple All-Stars, and a championship-winning coach in Mike D’Antoni.

Morey is widely respected within the NBA community for his basketball knowledge and analytical approach to building a winning team. He is also known for being very active on social media, which has sometimes gotten him into trouble with the league office.

In October 2019, Morey sparked a controversy when he tweeted support for protesters in Hong Kong who were demonstrations against China’s government. The tweet led to an immediate backlash from China, which led to several Chinese businesses severing ties with the NBA. The league was forced to apologize, and Morey later deleted his tweet.

What did Daryl Morey tweet?

Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets’ general manager, sparked a firestorm on Twitter when he posted support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The tweet, which has since been deleted, read: “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

Morey’s tweet drew immediate backlash from China, with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) saying it was “deeply offended” and suspending ties with the Rockets. The CBA is sponsored by state-run tv network CCTV.

The Chinese government also weighed in, with the Foreign Ministry spokesman calling Morey’s tweet “improper and inappropriate.”

The NBA issued a statement saying that Morey’s views were “sorely mistaken” and that it was “regrettable” that he had upset so many people.

The reaction to Daryl Morey’s tweet

Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets’ general manager, triggered a firestorm on Friday when he voiced support for protesters in Hong Kong, writing on Twitter: “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

The tweet was quickly deleted, but not before it set off a chain reaction that led to Chinese state television and online platforms suspending broadcasts of Rockets games and Chinese companies suspending business relationships with the team.

On Sunday, Mr. Morey issued a statement saying he did not intend to offend “the many Chinese who are proud of their country’s achievements and excited about its future.”

The episode is the latest example of how sensitive the N.B.A. is to its expanding business interests in China, which has become an important market for the league. In recent years, the N.B.A. has opened offices in Shanghai and Beijing, signed deals with several Chinese broadcasters and sponsors, and staged exhibition games there featuring some of the league’s biggest stars.

The Cost of Daryl Morey

Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets General Manager, created a firestorm when he tweeted support for the Hong Kong protesters. The tweet, which has since been deleted, said “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” Morey’s tweet sparked outrage in China, where the Rockets are extremely popular. The Chinese government is the NBA’s biggest market outside the United States, and they quickly responded by demanding an apology from the NBA.

The financial cost

Daryl Morey’s decision to tweet his support for the Hong Kong protesters came with a high financial cost for the NBA.

The league lost hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorships and partnerships, and Morey himself was fined $50,000 by the NBA. But the cost of Morey’s tweet goes beyond money.

The NBA’s relationship with China is now in shambles, and the league will have a difficult time repairing the damage. The whole incident also exposed the rift between the NBA’s owners and players, with some players criticizing Morey while others spoke out in support of him.

In the end, Daryl Morey’s tweet cost the NBA dearly, both financially and in terms of its reputation.

The political cost

In October 2019, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, and the ensuing fallout placed the NBA in a difficult position. Morey’s tweet prompted an immediate backlash from the Chinese government and state-run media, with some calling for a boycott of the NBA. The Rockets are one of the most popular teams in China, and Morey’s tweet put the league in a tough spot: risk upsetting its lucrative Chinese market or angering its American fans by appearing to kowtow to Beijing.

The NBA tried to thread the needle by issued a statement saying that it recognized that Morey’s views “have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China,” but stopped short of apologizing for his tweet. The statement was widely criticized as being too little, too late; many felt that the NBA should have stood up for Morey’s right to freedom of speech. In the end, the league’s handling of the situation cost it dearly: Chinese sponsors pulled their support, TV ratings tanked, and Morey was forced to issue a public apology.

The human cost

The Houston Rockets general manager created a firestorm when he tweeted support for the Hong Kong protesters, angering China and derailing the NBA’s plans to expand its reach into the country.

But Morey’s tweet also had a human cost. In the wake of the league’s initial response—which was seen as supportive of China—Morey stepped back from his comments and deleted the tweet.

The Rockets owner, Tilman Fertitta, quickly issued a statement distancing the team from Morey’s comments. And Morey issued his own statement apologizing for “any distress caused.”

But the damage was done. The NBA was criticized for its handling of the situation, and Morey became a villain in China. The episode also notable for how it revealed the extraordinary pressure that American businesses face to toe the line on issues related to China.