Nets owner defends China against Rockets’ attack
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Newly minted Brooklyn
Nets owner Joseph Tsai — the
co-founder of Chinese e-commerce
giant Alibaba — blasted
a fellow NBA executive on Monday
for publicly supporting prodemocracy
protests in Hong
Kong, calling the topic a “thirdrail
issue.”
“The hurt that this incident
has caused will take a long
time to repair,” wrote the Nets
owner. “Hundreds of millions
of fans are furious.”
The outrage was sparked
by a since-deleted Tweet from
Houston Rockets General Manager
Daryl Morey, who wrote
simply “Fight for Freedom.
Stand with Hong Kong” in response
to protests in the city
that have raged over a proposed
law that would allow judicial
extradition from Hong Kong
into mainland China — which
some protesters believe would
effectively end the quasi-sovereignty
enjoyed by Hong Kong
residents.
Since they were sparked in
June, the protests have become
a wider demonstration against
the increasing power wielded
COURIER L 22 IFE, OCT. 11-17, 2019
by the Chinese government
over the semi-autonomous city.
Tsai — a Taiwanese-Canadian
who helped found Alibaba
in China in 1999 — blasted
Morey’s intervention in the
hot-button political matter in a
376-word “open letter” on Facebook
.
“Supporting a separatist
movement in a Chinese territory
is one of those third-rail
issues, not only for the Chinese
government, but also for all citizens
in China,” wrote Tsai. “1.4
billion Chinese citizens stand
united when it comes to the territorial
integrity of China and
the country’s sovereignty over
her homeland. This issue is
non-negotiable.”
Morey — who is widely considered
among the best general
managers in the league — has
since apologized for expressing
support for the protesters.
“I did not intend my tweet
to cause any offense to Rockets
fans and friends of mine
in China. I was merely voicing
one thought, based on one
interpretation, of one complicated
event,” Morey Tweeted on
Sunday evening. “I would hope
that those who are upset will
know that offending or misunderstanding
them was not my
intention.”
The incident creates a delicate
fi nancial conundrum for
the NBA, which has signifi -
cantly grown its business operations
in the county over the
past decade — a venture helped
by Tsai’s purchase of the Nets
in August.
In July, the league announced
a fi ve-year partnership
with Chinese streaming
platform Tencent to stream
games to over 490 million fans
— a deal reportedly worth $1.5
billion.
The league quickly put out a
statement to American media
following Morey’s controversial
Tweet, calling the ordeal
“regrettable” — but put out a
more strongly-worded statement
in China, saying they
were “extremely disappointed”
by Morey’s comment.
The NBA’s apology drew
fi erce backlash from the American
politicians — including
multiple Democratic presidential
candidates like Beto
O’Rourke, who accused the
Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai stood up for China after a fellow NBA
exec praised the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.
Mary Altaffer / AP
league of cowering on human
rights in the name of profi t.
“The only thing the NBA
should be apologizing for is
their blatant prioritization of
profi ts over human rights,”
wrote the former Congressman.
“What an embarrassment.”
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth
Warren accused China of
leveraging its economic infl uence
to silence dissent.
“China is trying to use its
market power to silence free
speech and criticism of its
conduct,” wrote Warren. “In
response, the NBA chose its
pocketbook over its principles
— and our values. We should
all be speaking out in support
of those protesting for their
rights.”
The NBA regular season
will tip off on Oct. 22, and the
Nets will play the Rockets on
Nov. 1 at Barclays Center.
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