休斯敦火箭队总经理在推特上表示支持香港示威者后，大量的福克斯新闻人物和共和党议员嘲笑NBA周一向中国道歉。
右翼政治人物在NBA受到广泛抨击，原因是他们拒绝火箭总经理达里尔·莫雷（Daryl Morey）进行周日的推文，这为他的反引渡香港抗议者提供了支持。福克斯新闻的撰稿人盖伊·本森（Guy Benson）嘲笑了职业篮球联盟以前对所谓的“自由”问题的强硬立场，包括反对北卡罗来纳州的反变性浴室法案，并放弃使用“ 所有者 ” 一词作为谴责奴隶制比较的手段。联盟结束后，莫雷（Morey）道歉并删除了他的推文，几位顶级特许经营人物拒绝了他的亲示威推文。
周日，莫雷在推特上发布了一张已删除的图片，上面写着“争取自由，与香港站在一起”。
美国参议员马可·鲁比奥和特德·克鲁兹，以及众议院少数党领袖凯文·麦卡锡（Kevin McCarthy），因试图不让北京政府“骚扰共产主义者”而“卑鄙”地参加了该联盟。当潜在的数十亿美元的粉丝群处于危险之中时，本森谴责NBA并没有“足够醒悟”，以呼唤中国政府进行穆斯林集中营和其他不法行为。
“他们真的不愿意说'看我们，我们在NBA是进步的，已经醒了'，但当涉及到在一个十亿美元的专制国家中培养大量新的，有利可图的新兴球迷基础时，他们就没有了。人民，一个在北京的中国共产党政府。”本森在与达娜·佩里诺的每日简报中说。
他补充说：“他们不仅在诸如香港这样的明显问题上保持中立，我很想知道NBA对中国政府强行对该国各少数民族采取的穆斯林或器官采摘集中营的看法。” 本森还引用了2018年《每日野兽》舆论文章，该文章首先将NBA标记为“假醒”。
NBA周一发布了一份正式声明，与莫雷的推文相距甚远，引发了更多的强烈反对。
“我们认识到，休斯敦火箭总经理达里尔·莫雷表达的观点深深地冒犯了我们在中国的许多朋友和球迷，这令人遗憾。尽管达里尔已明确表示他的推文并不代表火箭队或NBA，但价值观联盟中的一员支持个人进行自我教育并就他们重要的事情分享看法，我们非常尊重中国的历史和文化，并希望体育和NBA能够成为弥合文化鸿沟并带动人们的统一力量一起。”
用普通话说联盟在中国发布的声明甚至更进一步，称莫雷的声明“不合适”，并为伤害中国篮球迷的感情而道歉。
“福克斯新闻”节目主持人劳拉·英格拉汉姆（Laura Ingraham）在推特上说：“ NBA正在为中国报道，这是可悲的。就像好莱坞一样。'NBA首席传播官说，联盟认识到莫雷的推文'深深地冒犯了我们在中国的许多朋友和球迷，这令人遗憾。” 。“ NBA人民有多少次向特朗普开枪？或者拒绝了白宫的邀请？但是他们不能批评中国吗？”
几位共和党议员也抨击了NBA：“香港成千上万的和平抗议者支持同样使美国变得伟大的言论自由。同时，NBA似乎更担心失去生意，而不是捍卫自由。可耻的是，” 加利福尼亚州发推文国会议员凯文·麦卡锡（Kevin McCarthy）。
鲁比奥周一在推特上说： “由于＃中国强大的力量使@NBA陷入沉默，仍在等待耐克及其稳定的'醒来'社会正义战士/运动员说话。” GOP参议员补充说：“ NBA的球员在美国谈论政治和社会问题没有问题。但是他们向＃中国道歉，要求NBA球队高管发给赞成民主的推文。
众多批评家指出，在中国篮球协会（其主席是前火箭明星中锋姚明）作出回应后，中国表示中止与莫雷的特许经营关系，此举可能危及数千亿美元。中国媒体合作伙伴腾讯已经宣布将不再玩火箭游戏，后者已与NBA达成15亿美元的流媒体交易。
中国加拿大裔布鲁克林篮网队老板约瑟夫·蔡（Joseph Tsai）对此做出了同样的谴责，谴责莫雷的亲香港抗议者的评论，促使右翼社交媒体倡导者迈克·切尔诺维奇（Mike Cernovich）宣布：“ NBA球队所有者蔡（Joe Tsai）出来支持共产主义中国。”
福克斯体育广播电台主持人克莱·特拉维斯（Clay Travis）周一也吹嘘说：“这起NBA-香港-中国混乱局面令人着迷。当涉及到美国跨性别卫生间纠纷等事情时，NBA超级醒了，但当美国跨性别卫生间争端时，膝盖屈服于中国达里尔·莫雷（Daryl Morey）出来支持民主和不满共产主义者。向您展示了联盟的虚伪性。
休斯顿火箭队老板蒂尔曼·费蒂塔（Tilman Fertitta）立即跳了起来，说莫雷不代表火箭组织讲话：“听着。达里尔·莫雷不代表休斯敦火箭队讲话。我们在东京的存在只不过是在全球范围内促进NBA，我们不是政治组织。”
NBA首席传播官迈克·巴斯（Mike Bass）回应说，联盟承认莫雷的推文“深感冒犯了我们在中国的许多朋友和球迷，这令人遗憾。我们非常尊重中国的历史和文化，并希望体育和NBA能够成为现实。作为弥合文化鸿沟并使人们团结在一起的统一力量。”
在联盟和球队的谴责之后，莫雷最终删除了他的推文，并完全摆脱了亲示威的评论。莫雷说，他应该“考虑其他观点”，并不意味着“对火箭的球迷和我在中国的朋友造成任何冒犯”。
FOX NEWS MOCKS 'FAKE WOKE' NBA FOR APOLOGIZING TO CHINA AFTER GM PRAISED HONG KONG PROTESTERS
A large cast of Fox News figures and Republican lawmakers ridiculed the NBA Monday for apologizing to China after a Houston Rockets general manager tweeted out his support for Hong Kong protesters.
The wide swath of right-wing political characters lashed out at the NBA for disavowing Rockets general manager Daryl Morey for a Sunday tweet, which offered his support for the anti-extradition Hong Kong protesters. Fox News contributor Guy Benson mocked the "disgusting" professional basketball league's previous hard-line stances on so-called "liberal" issues, including opposition to a North Carolina anti-transgender bathroom bill and dropping the use of the word "owners" as a means of rebuking slavery comparisons. Morey later apologized and deleted his tweet after the league, and several top franchise figures disavowed his pro-demonstration tweet.
On Sunday, Morey tweeted a now-deleted image with the words "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong."
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, along with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, piled on the league as "shameful" for trying not to "upset the communists" in the Beijing government. Benson blasted the NBA for not being "woke enough" to call out the Chinese government for Muslim concentration camps and other indiscretions when there's a potential billion-dollar fan base at stake.
"They've really gone out of their way to say 'look at us, we are progressive and woke in the NBA,' but not when it comes to trying to cultivate a massive new lucrative emerging fan base in an authoritarian country of a billion people, a communist Chinese government in Beijing," Benson said on The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino.
"Not only are they staying neutral on apparently issues like Hong Kong, I would love to know what the NBA thinks of concentration camps filled with Muslims or organ harvesting that the Chinese government forcibly does to various minorities in that country," he added. Benson also cited a 2018 Daily Beast opinion piece, which first labeled the NBA as "fake woke."
The NBA issued an official statement Monday distancing themselves from Morey's tweet, prompting even more backlash.
"We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals' educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together."
A statement in Mandarin that the league issued in China went even further, calling Morey's statement "inappropriate" and apologized for hurting the feelings of Chinese basketball fans.
"The NBA is covering for China—pathetic. Just like Hollywood. 'NBA chief communications officer said the league recognizes that Morey's tweet 'deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable,'" tweeted Fox News host Laura Ingraham. "How many times have NBA people taken shots at Trump? Or turned down invitations to the White House? But they can't criticize China?"
Several Republican lawmakers also blasted the NBA: "Thousands in Hong Kong are peacefully protesting in support of the same freedom of speech that makes America great. Meanwhile, the NBA seems more worried about losing business than standing up for freedom. Shameful," tweeted California Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
"As #Chinastrong arms the@NBA into silence still waiting for Nike & their stable of 'woke' social justice warrior/athletes to speak out," Rubio remarked on Twitter Monday. "NBA players have no problem speaking out on politics & social issues in America. But they apologize to #China for a pro democracy tweet from an NBA team executive. Hypocrites," the GOP senator added.
Numerous critics noted the hundreds of billions of dollars potentially at stake after the Chinese Basketball Association, whose president is Yao Ming, a former Rockets star center, responded by saying it was suspending its relationship with Morey's franchise. Chinese media partner Tencent, who has a $1.5 billion NBA streaming deal, has also announced it won't play Rockets games.
Chinese-Canadian Brooklyn Nets team owner Joseph Tsai responded by similarly rebuking Morey's pro-Hong Kong protester comments, prompting right-wing social media provocateur, Mike Cernovich, to declare, "NBA team owner Joe Tsai comes out in support of communist China."
Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis also chimed in Monday, saying, "This NBA-Hong Kong-China mess is fascinating. The NBA is super woke when it comes to things like made up US transgender bathroom disputes, but bent the knee to China when Daryl Morey came out in support of democracy & upset communists. Shows you how hypocritical the league is."
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta immediately jumped on and said Morey does not speak for the Rockets organization: "Listen. Daryl Morey does NOT speak for the Houston Rockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of the NBA internationally and we are NOT a political organization."