PLAYING BALL Nets owner sides with China, blasts Rockets GM for supporting Hong Kong protests
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
Suspect on the lam despite false capture report
COURIER LIFE, OCT. 11-17, 2019 5
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 pro-democracy
protests in Hong Kong, calling
the topic a “third-rail 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 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 financial conundrum
for the NBA, which
has significantly 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 five-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 stronglyworded
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 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.
BY ROSE ADAMS
Cops falsely claimed that an escaped robbery
suspect had been re-apprehended after
slipping police custody in handcuffs in Brooklyn
Heights on Monday morning, and now say
the fugitive remains on the lam.
Police were transporting the suspect the
60th Precinct in Coney Island to Central Booking
on Schermerhorn Street between Smith
Street and Boerum Place when he escaped
police custody a little after 11 am, authorities
confi rmed.
Cops claimed they’d recaptured the man
later that day, before admitting thier mistake
Tuesday.
“Yesterday there was a misunderstanding,
but he has not been apprehended,” said Offi cer
Arlene Muniz, a spokeswoman for the police
department.
Cops originally claimed that they found
and re-apprehended the suspect sometime before
3:15 pm, but have since reneged on that
statement.
The wanted man — who was arrested in
the near Coney Island on robbery charges —
slipped police custody and fl ed southbound on
Court Street near Atlantic Avenue while still
handcuffed, according to social crime-reporting
app Citizen .
Dozens of police cars and helicopters canvassed
the area for hours, and local schools
were put on lock-down during the hunt, according
to Citizen.
The police vehicles have now subsided, and
authorities have not commented on the ongoing
search.
Cops described the man as fi ve-foot-nine,
with hair in cornrows, a light beard and mustache.
He was last seen wearing sky blue tshirt
under a military green track suit with
orange stripes.
Anyone who provides police with information
leading to an arrest can expect up to a
$2,500 reward through the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers
program. The public can phone their tips
to (800) 577-8477, log into the Crime Stoppers
website at www.nypdcrimstoppers.com, tweet @
NYPDTips, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then
enter TIP577.
All calls are strickly confi dential.
/www.nypdcrimstoppers.com
/www.nypdcrimstoppers.com