Chinese businesses, broadcaster punish Houston Rockets over manager's HK protest tweet

Record ID: 1435533

  • Title: Chinese businesses, broadcaster punish Houston Rockets over manager's HK protest tweet
  • Date: 7th October 2019
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF YAO AND OTHER OFFICIALS AND REPRESENTATIVES WALKING OFF STAGE
  • Embargoed: 21st October 2019 06:21
  • Keywords: Rockets China NBA Weibo Houston Rockets SPD Bank Hong Kong Yao Ming Morey Li Ning
  • Location: BEIJING, SHANGHAI, CHINA/HOUSTON, TEXAS, PHOENIX, ARIZONA, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA/INTERNET
  • City: BEIJING, SHANGHAI, CHINA/HOUSTON, TEXAS, PHOENIX, ARIZONA, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA/INTERNET
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Basketball,Sport,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA005B03IXC7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: China's state broadcaster and businesses said they would halt cooperation with the Houston Rockets after the NBA team's general manager took to Twitter to voice support for the recent anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
    In a televised statement, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday (October 7) that its sports channel, CCTV sports, announced it will stop broadcasting Rockets matches in response to Saturday's (October 5) now deleted tweet from Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey about Hong Kong.
    Sportswear brand Li-Ning and sponsor Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD) Credit Card Center on Sunday (October 6) strongly condemned Morey's initial tweet and said they would suspend ties with the Rockets.
    On Monday, Morey apologised over Twitter for his tweet saying he did not intend to offend fans in China.
    The Rockets are widely followed in China, partly because they drafted Yao Ming in 2002, who became a star and helped build the NBA's following in China.
    (Production: Martin Pollard, Joseph Campbell)
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