The NBA is expected to lose several billions of dollars from Chinese investors despite apologies from Commissioner Adam Silver and Rockets GM Daryl Morey. In addition, sports agents warned their clients to avoid talking about China.
As a result, most NBA players are quiet about the China issue since the nation severed its ties with the basketball league. A sports agent told gambling news outlets that he told his clients not to talk about China’s policies.
NBA officials and players have been walking a fine line since Houston Rockets GM tweeted his support for the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. He tweeted it last Friday but it’s now deleted. However, it created an economic and political issue between the league and its Chinese investors.
Sports Agents Warned Players to Remain Silent about China
Commissioner Adam Silver apologized for upsetting Chinese fans. However, he said that Morey had every right to say what he wanted to say. As a result of the conflict, the NBA canceled several events in China for this week.
In retaliation, Beijing-operated TV station, CCTV, stopped airing NBA preseason games held in the country. Also, most of the league’s partners in China suspended their business relationships with the NBA. Some of the Chinese partners include Luckin Coffee and Tencent.
After the game against Guangzhou Loong Lions, a reporter asked 76ers coach Brett Brown about China. Brown ignored the question and asked for a different question. However, the reporter asked the same question of whether the game felt different, and he answered no.
A league executive who wanted to remain anonymous told pay per head software insiders that he supports Morey’s right to free speech. However, he thinks that it was not the Rockets GM’s place to publicly announce his stand on the matter.
In case you are wondering how do bookie make money in China, the answer is they don’t. China doesn’t like gambling in its territory except for Macau.