Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta "strongly denounced a tweet" from GM Daryl Morey on Friday night after Morey "posted an image supporting protesters in Hong Kong." Morey "later deleted his tweet, an image that read, 'Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.'" Fertitta said, "Everything is fine with Daryl and me. We got a huge backlash, and I wanted to make clear that (the organization) has no (political) position. We're here to play basketball and not to offend anybody." Morey's tweet "came as the Rockets headed to Saitama, Japan," where they will face the Raptors in a set of preseason games Tuesday and Thursday (ESPN.com, 10/5).
The Rockets have had "sponsorship arrangements with Chinese companies since becoming exceedingly popular in China after the selection of Yao Ming" in '02, "working to extensively cultivate that relationship ever since" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/6). The NBA has "worked hard for years to establish itself in the vast Chinese market, and the Rockets ... remain one of the most popular teams in China." Morey’s tweet "brought backlash from official sources and Chinese people/bots on Weibo (the Chinese social media platform)" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/5).
