And anybody who is shocked that Lebron is carrying the NBA’s water is an idiot. The mans dream is to own an NBA team one day. This obviously helps show them that he’ll be the right kind of owner. He’s more than capable of going full SJW when it’s about injustice being done to African Americans (because he is one as well as them being an incredibly important demographic for both sneaker companies and the NBA)… but obviously the plight of downtrodden Asian people on the other side of the world is very much not his problem. Particularly when taking up their cause would be bad for the NBA’s attempt at penetrating the Chinese market or damage Nike selling expensive shoes to the Chinese.
Mark my words this decision on his part is worth at least +100M in EV for him.
It could be that the NBA is dumb and doesn’t realize what’s good for them. Orrrrrr it’s possible that the government of the largest country in the world has more heft than NBA twitter and they understand exactly what they’re doing.
I mean, I’m not ready to say US companies shouldn’t do business in China, perhaps not even companies who otherwise promote themselves as having progressive values, so perhaps the ethical delta between me and Steve Kerr is relatively small, but at least don’t shamelessly bothsides the issue like some PR crisis manager, it’s a terrible look.
It seems to me in something like 10 years or so that China will have a really hard time remaining authoritarian with all of the stuff they’ve allowed to happen that will hurt them on that front. China now is probably something similar to what we’d see here if President Crimes wins the battle going on.
OK, I assume your point is that they understand something beyond “big market = big money” Mickey Mouse stuff and that you are taking a Henry17-esque line of “and therefore are making all the brilliant decisions.”
“I want this to be clear, and I think there’s been some confusion around this: We are not apologizing for Daryl exercising his freedom of expression,” the commissioner said.
Silver added that while the protests in Hong Kong are a “a third-rail issue in China,” there are values “that are deeply rooted in the DNA of the NBA, and that includes freedom of expression for our employees.”
BZZZZT
“We are strongly dissatisfied and we oppose Silver’s claim to support Morey’s right of free expression. We believe that any speech that challenges national sovereignty and social stability is not within the scope of freedom of speech,” CCTV said in its statement in Chinese, which was translated by CNBC.
Trying to both sides this with FREEZE PEACH meowchow to save face in the USA/other market while getting Gong Showed by CCTV doesn’t feel like an “understand exactly what they’re doing” scenario to me. Then Kerr whataboutism. Labron knowledge. Much strategy, very PR.
I root for a team which is not nowhere near the closest one to me. Now, I am considering buying a ticket when the Lakers are in town so I can try to start a “Free Hong Kong” chant when Lebron shoots free throws.