TOKYO: Houston Rockets star James Harden on Monday apologized to China over a tweet by the team’s general manager backing Hong Kong’s democracy protests that cost the franchise TV exposure and sponsorship in the lucrative Chinese market.
The team and the NBA were forced into defensive mode as China’s state broadcaster said it was yanking Rockets games from the air and sponsors abandoned them.
The controversy quickly spread across the Pacific, as commentators and even a presidential candidate rounded on the league for kowtowing to authoritarian Beijing.
In Tokyo, where the team is playing two exhibition matches this week, Harden distanced himself from the controversy.
“We apologize. We love China,” he said, standing alongside fellow Rockets guard Russell Westbrook.
“We love playing there. Both of us, we go there once or twice a year. They show us most support so we appreciate them.”
The furor comes after general manager Daryl Morey — whose Rockets have had a huge following in China since they signed Yao Ming in 2002 — posted a tweet Friday featuring the message “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” On Monday he tried to calm the water.
“I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China,” he tweeted.
“I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.”
“I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention,” he added.
Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has been battered by four months of increasingly violent pro-democracy protests.
The rallies were ignited by a now-scrapped plan to allow extraditions to mainland China, fueling fears of an erosion of liberties in Hong Kong under the 50-year “one country, two systems” model China agreed before the 1997 handover from Britain.
The NBA issued its own statement, saying it recognized Morey’s views “have offended so many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable.”
“While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them,” the statement issued by chief communications officer Mike Bass said.
But a Chinese-language version of the statement posted on Weibo went further, saying the NBA was “deeply disappointed by the inappropriate remarks.”
In the US, the NBA found itself under fire for its apology, which presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, a Texan, called “an embarrassment.”
“The only thing the NBA should be apologizing for is their blatant prioritization of profits over human rights,” he tweeted.
The NBA’s statement also did little to mollify fans in China, with furious comments among the 15,000 responses on Weibo.
“This is an apology?” one user wrote. “Get out of China,” added another.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are due to play pre-season games in Shanghai and Shenzhen later this week.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and Tencent Holdings, which streams NBA games in China, have both said they will halt Rockets broadcasts.
And sponsors including sportswear brand Li Ning and the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank announced they were cutting ties.