(Newswire.net — October 11, 2019) — Beijing, Shanghai – Sneakers and other Houston Rocket-branded goods have been pulled from several Nike shops in major Chinese cities, Reuters reports.
This is due to a tweet from Houston general manager Daryl Morey who has been supporting Hong Kong citizens who have been protesting on the streets of the city for weeks.
The managers of five “Nike” stores in Beijing told Reuters that a memorandum had recently informed the administration that all goods bearing the Houston Rocket insignia had to be removed from the store shelves. Reuters said they had no insight into the matter.
Although the Houston general manager has apologized for his tweet, American NBA League commissioner Adam Silver has provoked the ire of Chinese authorities, saying the league supports Morey’s right to free expression.
Despite these controversies, the NBA is not giving up on an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets scheduled for Thursday night through Friday. Earlier promotional events during the week were canceled.
There is a big stake for the NBA, as its business in China is estimated at $4 billion. The world’s most populous country is the largest source of Nike’s revenue growth, as it is declining in other regions.
Three Nike stores in Shenzhen also removed Houston Rocket goods from shelves, as well as all NBA products, Reuters confirmed.
In addition, a specialist NBA store in the financial district’s main shopping mall of Shanghai also removed all goods bearing the Houston Rockets sign. “If all NBA merchandise has to be withdrawn, our store will go bankrupt,” said the store manager.
And staff at theme centers in Shanghai and Beijing, opened by NBA Chinatown, confirmed that the Rockets’ products were removed from the shelves and from the showcase.