China's "leading e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba's Taobao, JD.com and Pinduoudo, have blocked products" related to the Rockets in the wake of GM Daryl Morey's tweet about Hong Kong protests over the weekend, according to Tracy Qu of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST. Online searches for Rockets merchandise on the platforms "turned up a message saying 'items not found'" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 10/9). The AP's Tim Reynolds notes all over China, stores that "sell NBA merchandise were removing Rockets-related apparel from shelves." Many "murals featuring the Rockets" -- even ones with former Rocket Yao Ming -- were "being painted over" (AP, 10/9).
CHINESE CENSORSHIP: In L.A., Ganguli & Su note at an NBA exhibit in Beijing, a Lakers jersey "hung next to a bare patch on the wall." An employee said that workers were "instructed to remove all Rockets references." At a nearby NBA Store, another employee "gasped when she realized several Rockets caps were still on display." She "snatched them away, saying all NBA stores had been given orders not to sell any Rockets merchandise since Monday" (L.A. TIMES, 10/9).
