Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has expressed criticism against the Chinese government for its reaction towards NBA team Houston Rockets.
Daryl Morey, the Rockets’ General Manager, recently drew China’s ire after posting an image on Twitter that read, “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.”
While Morey later deleted the post, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta had already seen the tweet and responded to the backlash, with a note distancing the franchise from the post.
Since Morey’s tweet, The NBA, the Rockets, and even star James Harden have been attempting to subdue the situation as Chinese groups expressed their dismay.
Many Chinese organizations condemned Morey’s tweet by penalizing the Rockets in various means.
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The Chinese Basketball Association, in which former Rockets icon Yao Ming is now president, has suspended their ties with the team. Tencent Sports has also announced that all live-streaming and news reporting of the Rockets would be suspended.
For Yang, the backlash for Morey’s tweet was uncalled for.
“The Chinese government banning the Rockets is a terrible move,” he wrote in a tweet on Sunday.
His tweet, which was applauded by many of his supporters, generated over 1,000 retweets and over 10,000 likes.
Rep. Julian Castro, another presidential hopeful from the Democratic Party, also posted a tweet criticizing China’s move.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Consulate General in Houston also issued its own statement on Sunday to express “strong dissatisfaction” with the Rockets.
“We are deeply shocked by the erroneous comments on Hong Kong made by Mr. Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets,” a statement on the consulate’s website read.
“We have lodged representations and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Houston Rockets, and urged the latter to correct the error and take immediate concrete measures to eliminate the adverse impact.”
Featured image via Instagram/andrewyang2020
