NBA relationship ruptured

Daryl Morey, general manager of the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets, infuriated Chinese fans with an Oct 5 tweet which expressed support for violent protesters in Hong Kong. The Chinese Basketball Association condemned his insensitive post and announced it would terminate cooperation with the franchise. The league's stance supporting Morey in the name of protecting "free speech" further escalated the tension, causing multiple broadcasters and sponsors to cancel their NBA deals.