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Houston Rockets Games Dropped By Chinese TV Following GM Comments

October 7, 2019

China’s State Broadcaster has dropped Houston Rockets games from its network following comments on Twitter from the NBA franchise’s GM in support of Hong Kong.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been forced to apologise for any offence he may have caused to Chinese fans, with the NBA distancing themselves from his Tweet’s content.

The Rockets have a huge following in China after drafting basketball hall-of-famer Yao Ming in 2002, where he spent his entire NBA career until retirement in 2011, making the NBA’s All-Star game eight times within that period.

Morey’s original tweet contained an image with the caption: “Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

Two Chinese brands, sportswear company Li-Ning and sponsor Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD Bank) Credit Card Center, have also suspended working with the franchise in addition to the games being dropped from TV.

Morey offered this statement on Twitter following the criticism.

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