By Canadian Press

Rockets’ general manager’s Hong Kong comments anger China

Oct 6, 2019 | 6:00 PM

BEIJING — China’s official basketball association says it will suspend co-operation with the Houston Rockets following a tweet by the NBA team’s general manager in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

The Chinese Basketball Association said Sunday on its official Twitter-like Weibo account that Daryl Morey had made “improper remarks regarding Hong Kong” to which it expressed its “strong opposition.”

That underscores Beijing’s extreme sensitivity about foreign attitudes toward the ongoing protests in the semi-autonomous territory that have lately grown in violence. China accuses foreign parties in the U.S. and elsewhere of encouraging the demonstrations.

Morey’s now-deleted tweet read: “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta attempted to distance the team from Morey’s tweet with a Twitter post of his own: “Listen.@darylmorey does NOT speak for the @HoustonRockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of the @NBA internationally and we are NOT a political organization.”

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NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass released a statement Sunday night.

“We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable,” Bass said. “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.

“We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.”

China’s relationship with the Rockets has been especially close because Chinese Hall of Famer Yao Ming played his NBA career with the team.

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The Associated Press