Chinese basketball fans filled an arena Thursday in Shanghai for a National Basketball Association exhibition game despite the ongoing public backlash over a tweet from the Houston Rockets general manager in support of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.Video posted on social media by a Los Angeles Times reporter show Chinese fans, many wearing NBA jerseys, cheering and taking pictures as the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets made their way onto the court. The scene as the Lakers take the court 15 minutes before this game. A fan drapes a Chinese national flag over an NBA banner during a preseason NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China, Oct. 10, 2019.On Tuesday, two people were removed from a Philadelphia 76ers game because they carried small signs that read, “Free Hong Kong” and “Free HK.”U.S. professional sports leagues are no strangers to political controversy. In 2016, the NFL drew attention when several African American players began sitting during the national anthem, participating in “Black Lives Matter” protests over the treatment of black people in the United States.Since then, the leagues, owners and players have negotiated over when and where political statements are appropriate. The NBA has been seen as the most permissive American professional sports league for allowing the airing of political views.An NBA statement issued earlier this week appeared to indicate that policy may shift when it comes to Chinese political views.”We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable,” a spokesman 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.”U.S. politicians criticized that position.FILE – Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks during a hearing of a Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, March 6, 2019.Missouri Senator Josh Hawley wrote a letter to the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, and the 30 NBA team owners criticizing their decision to “help the most brutal of regimes silence dissent in pursuit of profit.”Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a socialist-leaning Democrat, and Republican Senator Ted Cruz were among those signing a letter saying, “It is outrageous that the Chinese Communist Party is using its economic power to suppress the speech of Americans inside the United States. “China has been facing international pressure over its support of crackdowns against protesters in Hong Kong. The protests started in opposition to a law that would have allowed mainland China to extradite citizens from Hong Kong. The territory’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, later announced her government planned to officially withdraw the bill. The demonstrations, however, have continued over what protesters see as China’s efforts to restrict Hong Kong’s autonomy.
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