The Chinese public television CCTV did not broadcast (Tuesday night in the United States) the opening games of the new American basketball season, against the background of the tension between the NBA and Beijing over a controversial tweet about Hong Kong.
This is an unusual measure in China, where basketball fans are numerous. The Chinese internet giant Tencent did broadcast on its online platforms the expected duel between the Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto-New Orleans game.
For almost three weeks, a delicate diplomatic crisis has been going on between China and the NBA, which emerged from a tweet by Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Championship manager Adam Silver refused to apologize and sanction Morey, despite the financial implications this controversy has for the NBA.
At the beginning of the month, the audiovisual group CCTV and Tencent canceled the broadcast of two exhibition games in China between the Nets and the Lakers.
– T-shirts distributed –
On Tuesday, supporters of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong distributed T-shirts in support of Hong Kong in the vicinity of the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where the first two games of the new NBA season took place.
In Los Angeles, where the Clippers-Lakers derby was played, a score of activists proceeded to distribute some 13,000 T-shirts made ‘on purpose’ thanks to $ 43,000 (38,600 euros) collected through online collaborations, according to the Los Angeles newspaper. Times.
In Toronto, T-shirts with the slogan “North supports Hong Kong” were given away free of charge before the game against New Orleans.
“‘Fight for freedom. Support Hong Kong. ‘ I completely agree with that. We are all human beings and we have to help each other, “Clippers fan Christian Macías told AFP.
– Flag of Hong Kong –
Before the game in Los Angeles, the Hong Kong flag was shown flying behind the TNT station that was broadcasting the game live, with Shaquille O’Neal as the commentator.
During the pre-match broadcast, ‘Shaq’ himself expressed his support for Daryl Morey.
“As Americans, we do a lot of business in China. They know and understand our values. The freedom to speak is one of our best values. We have the right to say what we want and to denounce injustices, “said the former star.
Daryl Morey was right. Every time we see something that is not working in the world, we should have the right to say that it is not right. And that’s what he did, “he concluded. AFP