HONG KONG — The Houston Rockets have gone into kowtow mode after general manager Daryl Morey sent out a pro-Hong Kong tweet which angered annoying Beijing.
ESPN reports that on Friday, Morey tweeted an image that read: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." in reference to the ongoing pro-democracy protest in the semi-autonomous city.
Well, China didn't like that.
And despite Rockets spineless owner Tilman Fertitta denouncing Morey's views with a tweet of his own later that day, crap still hit the fan.
The Chinese Basketball Association, headed by former Rockets t-rex Yao Ming, said Morey had made "improper remarks" and expressed its "strong opposition." The CBA later said it would cut all ties with the team.
Wonder who ordered the CBA to make those statements??
More backlash was ordered from Tencent, a major media partner of the NBA in China, and Chinese state television. Both declared they would not be showing Rockets games.
Even the Chinese consulate office in Houston jumped into the fray with a statement that urged the Rockets to "correct the error and take immediate concrete efforts to eliminate the adverse impact."
Whatever that means — corrective action as far as China is concerned could be anything from a simple tweet apology to full kowtown in front of Emperor Xi.
Morey has also deleted the controversial tweet and "apologized."
He tweeted a statement Sunday saying he didn't mean to cause offense to Rockets fans and friends in China, and has since heard and considered "other perspectives" to the Hong Kong issue.
The NBA also released a statement to shamelessly try and get back in the Police State's good graces. Guess protecting the bottom line is more important than human rights.
But let's be honest...the only people that need to be apologizing are the butthurt Chinese.
