Amid rift with China, will the league be forced to apologize?
Trump takes a shot at Golden State coach Kerr
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday that the league is still expecting them to play as scheduled this week, even while the rift between the league and Chinese officials continued in ways that clearly suggested the two planned games in Shanghai and Shenzhen were anything but guaranteed.
The NBA called off scheduled media sessions Wednesday for both teams. At least two other NBA events to be held Wednesday before the start of the China games were canceled as part of the fallout that started after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a since-deleted tweet last week that showed support for antigovernment protesters in Hong Kong.
“Given the fluidity of the situation, today’s media availability has been postponed,” the league said. The sessions were not rescheduled Wednesday, though having them on Thursday — game day in Shanghai — remains possible.
Later Wednesday in Washington, a bipartisan group of lawmakers — including the rare alignment of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — sent a letter to Silver saying the NBA should show the “courage and integrity” to stand up to the Chinese government. They asked the NBA to, among other things, suspend activities in China until what they called the selective treatment against the Rockets ends.
“You have more power to take a stand than most of the Chinese government’s targets and should have the courage and integrity to use it,” the lawmakers told Silver. The NBA did not have any immediate comment on the letter, and it was unclear if Silver had even seen the document.
In Shanghai, the mood surrounding the game that — if played — will feature LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and other big NBA names was anything but festive. An NBA Cares event that was to benefit the Special Olympics was called off, as was a “fan night” celebration that was to be highlighted by the league announcing plans to refurbish some outdoor courts in that city. And workers in multiple spots around Shanghai were tearing down large outdoor promotional advertisements for Thursday’s Lakers-Nets game.
The teams are also supposed to play Saturday in Shenzhen.
Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has joined the list of companies that have suspended ties with the NBA for now, only adding to the uncertainty surrounding the China games. Vivo was a presenting sponsor of the games, and on Wednesday there was no reference to the game in Shanghai on the list of upcoming events scheduled at Mercedes-Benz Arena. Other firms such as apparel company LiNing announced similar moves earlier this week, as the rift was just beginning.
Silver said Tuesday in Tokyo that he supports Morey’s right to free speech. Several Chinese companies have suspended their partnership with the NBA in recent days, and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said it will not broadcast the Lakers-Nets games.
“I’m sympathetic to our interests here and to our partners who are upset,” Silver said. “I don’t think it’s inconsistent on one hand to be sympathetic to them and at the same time stand by our principles.”
The NBA is not the first major corporation to deal with criticism from China over political differences. Mercedes-Benz, Delta Air Lines, hotel operator Marriott, fashion brand Zara and others also have found themselves in conflicts with China in recent years.
After Morey’s tweet was deleted, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said Morey does not speak for the organization. Joe Tsai, who recently completed his purchase of the Nets and is a co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, has said the damage to the NBA’s relationship with China “will take a long time to repair.”
KERR-TRUMP: President Donald Trump took aim at Steve Kerr, one of his most vocal critics from the sports world, for not offering an opinion on China’s battle with the NBA, saying Wednesday the Warriors coach “was like a little boy, he was so scared.”
While speaking with the press, Trump was asked if it’s wrong for China to be putting pressure on the NBA over the league’s refusal to condemn support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.
“Well, the NBA’s a different thing. I mean I watched this guy, Steve Kerr, and he was like a little boy, he was so scared to answer the question,” Trump said, alluding to Kerr saying he would withhold comment until he knew more. “He couldn’t even answer the question, he was shaking, ‘Ohhhhh, I don’t know … I don’t know.’
“He didn’t know how to answer the question and yet he’ll talk about the United States very badly.”
Kerr, never one to shy away from what he perceives as social injustices or missteps by Trump, surprisingly had little to say after China’s reaction to Morey’s tweet.
“It’s a really bizarre international story and a lot of us don’t know what to make of it,” Kerr said Monday night. “It’s something I’m reading about, just like everybody is. But I’m not going to comment further than that.”