- Title: Shenzhen gears up for second Lakers-Nets match amid China NBA backlash
- Date: 11th October 2019
- Summary: NBA LOGO ON BANNER CHINESE NBA FANS WAITING OUTSIDE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL NBA FAN HOLDING POODLE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 20-YEAR-OLD MAINLAND CHINESE NBA FAN, CHEN MINQI. SAYING: ''I think Morey's tweet has interfered with China's internal affairs. We should adhere to the one-China principle. But basketball is just basketball. What we really love is basketball as a sport. We should not bring politics into basketball, because every one of us who loves basketball just wants to watch a NBA game. But (anyhow), it is unacceptable for the NBA to make such comments. " FORMER NBA PLAYER DAVID ROBINSON TAKING PICTURE WITH 36-YEAR-OLD NBA FAN FROM HONG KONG, SAMSON, AND WALKING AWAY ROBINSON WALKING AWAY SAMSON HOLDING JERSEY WITH ROBINSON'S SIGNATURE ROBINSON'S SIGNATURE ON JERSEY (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 36-YEAR-OLD NBA FAN FROM HONG KONG, SAMSON, SAYING: "In fact, everyone has the freedom to express what they want to say. (Morey) expressed what he though and (I think) he never expected that China would have such a big reaction. Things have gone on until now and it's just really helpless. It's miserable. " NBA CHINA GAME PROMOTION BANNER INSIDE SHENZHEN UNIVERSIADE CENTRE BANNER READING (Chinese and English): "LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS BROOKLYN NETS"
- Embargoed: 25th October 2019 12:40
- Keywords: exhibition game nets China NBA tweet fued basketball Lakers Shenzhen
- Location: SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Basketball,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA003B0NIF5Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:China's Shenzhen geared up on Friday (October 11) to host an upcoming second preseason game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers scheduled for the weekend amid continuing Chinese furore over a tweet made by a Houston Rockets manager executive supporting anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
No players or executives were made available for official briefings this week in China as the league grappled with the backlash from the quickly deleted tweet by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey last weekend in support of Hong Kong anti-government protests. Although banners advertising a Lakers-Nets game in Shanghai were removed, the Thursday (October 10) game still went on as planned.
''I think Morey's tweet has interfered with China's internal affairs…We should not bring politics into basketball, because every one of us who loves basketball just wants to watch a NBA game," said Chinese NBA fan Chen Mingqi, while waiting outside a hotel for a peak of his favourite Lakers players.
The NBA has apologised for the backlash to Morey's tweet but backed his ability to take a stand on the issue without speaking for the team, further angering Chinese authorities and threatening the NBA's business there, said to be worth more than $4 billion.
(Production: Joyce Zhou) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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