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

Record ID: 1435535

  • Title: Chinese businesses, broadcaster punish Houston Rockets over manager's HK protest tweet
  • Date: 7th October 2019
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (FILE - OCTOBER 11, 2016) (REUTERS) HOUSTON ROCKETS PLAYERS TRAINING BALLS GOING IN NET ROCKETS PLAYER, K. J. MCDANIELS, SHOOTING VARIOUS OF ROCKETS PLAYER, JAMES HARDEN, SHOOTING SHANGHAI, CHINA (FILE - OCTOBER 8, 2016) (REUTERS) HOUSTON ROCKETS PLAYERS TRAINING VARIOUS OF HARDEN, SHOOTING BASKET HOUSTON ROCKETS PLAYERS PLAYING BASKETBALL WITH STUDENTS DURING NBA CLINIC GUARD OF HARDEN, TEACHING SHOOTING HOUSTON ROCKETS PLAYERS PLAYING BASKETBALL WITH STUDENTS DURING NBA CLINIC FORMER HOUSTON ROCKETS PLAYER, DIKEMBE MUTOMBO, GIVING HIGH FIVES TO NBA CLINIC STUDENT HOUSTON ROCKETS PLAYERS PLAYING BASKETBALL WITH STUDENTS OF NBA CLINIC FORMER HOUSTON ROCKETS PLAYER, YAO MING, TALKING TO STUDENTS OF NBA CLINIC YAO TALKING
  • 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: LVA002B03IXC7
  • 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)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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