He probably thought this was more of a sure thing than The Beard drilling an open three. The NBA is now trying to appease its Chinese fans while staying true to its ideology, and it’s unclear whether both goals can be accomplished (more on that, too, in a bit).Given the drama, we thought this would be an opportune moment to recap how the NBA has gotten into hot water with a country and market it values so highly. Nets owner Joe Tsai’s lengthy attempted explanation of why Chinese people are particularly sensitive to the situation in Hong Kong conveniently ignored Tsai’s own business interests, the use of propaganda to confuse and misinform the Chinese public, as well mischaracterized the protests in Hong Kong, which stem from overreaching extradition laws. Given all the potential consumers and revenue, the world’s most populous country has been at the center of the league’s expansion strategy.Through TV deals hearkening back to the heyday of Lakers-Celtics, a collaborative relationship with the Chinese Basketball Association, yearly preseason games, and—of course—the arrival of Yao Ming in the league in 2002, the NBA has succeeded in capturing the attention of Chinese sports fans.It’s an understatement to say the NBA is big in China.However, the strength of that robust relationship is in peril this fall. And he’s done a good job of framing his actions as progressive when they could just as easily be viewed as smart business practices. And it’s not the NBA that should be doing any apologizing or smoothing over after the events that have unfolded. Meanwhile Morey—as well as Rockets star James Harden, somehow—sensing the business consequences of angering China, also apologized. He may have had no idea what he was doing, but the outspoken GM seems to have placed the league, and his team, in an impossible position. This goes beyond the scope of the NBA, and far more intelligent people than me can explain how we’ve gotten here, but globalizing China’s economy has done little to nothing to pull its government closer to Western ideals of democracy. It would be an unpopular move. And, in an interesting twist, the league that was most beloved in China, given its history with Yao, is at the center of the tumult.The issue now dominating the sports news cycle originated when Houston general manager Daryl Morey and the Rockets arrived in Hong Kong on Friday for their preseason series with the Raptors, the first game of which took place Wednesday in Tokyo. Morey had no idea what would ensue.Since his tweet taking the side of the protestors, everything has spiraled, with the executive apologizing, numerous business relationships falling apart, and the league’s relationship with China suddenly looking shaky. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Basketball is now the most popular sport among Chinese youth and the NBA is the country’s most popular sports league. The NBA has a host of licensing and retail deals in China, including a $500 million pact with Tencent Holdings Ltd. and a 30-plus-years partnership with state-run broadcaster CCTV. This is really happening, and while you probably don’t come to This all started when Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who may one day be looked at as the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of World War III, sent a thoroughly benign tweet (since deleted) about civil rights protests in Hong Kong. He basically wants to We’ve now seen what China is willing to do over a tweet that, theoretically, most of its public couldn’t even see because Twitter is blocked in the country. A simple image consisting of seven words might be the most troublesome tweet in corporate America this year. The problems, per CNN, are all Daryl Morey’s fault: A simple image consisting of … Ever since David Stern took the reins as commissioner in 1984, the league has focused on eclipsing the boundaries of the United States, with a specific emphasis placed on China. In what would be an unpopular move for both players and owners who are dependent on the Chinese market for an economic boost, the NBA should end its relationship with China. After all, he doesn’t work for Morey. If your head is spinning a little bit, that’s because the more you attempt to untangle the NBA’s relationship with China, the more moral quandaries you encounter. Email him: aaroncmansfield@gmail.com.When it comes to international expansion, the NBA has been far ahead of its domestic rivals for years. Fans, too, would probably be a little upset when those salary cap projections came in a little lower because of a decrease in revenue.

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