The NBA–China Tension: What’s at Stake?
Case
Teaching Notes
Abstract
In October 2019, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, leading China to suspend contracts with the Rockets and to cancel the airing of two preseason NBA games that were played in the country. Basketball superstar LeBron James later criticized Morey’s tweets, and the NBA said it was “extremely disappointed” in Morey’s comments, inciting pro-Hong Kong demonstrations in and around NBA arenas. This case examines the controversy in the context of the NBA’s growing market, China.
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