BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 09: People walk by the NBA flagship retail store on October 9, 2019 in Beijing, China. The NBA is trying to salvage its brand in China amid criticism of its handling of a controversial tweet that infuriated the government and has jeopardized the leagues Chinese expansion. The crisis, triggered by a Houston Rockets executives tweet that praised protests in Hong Kong, prompted the Chinese Basketball Association to suspend its partnership with the league. The backlash continued with state-owned television CCTV scrapping its plans to broadcast pre-season games in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and the cancellation of other promotional fan events. The league issued an apology, though NBA Commissioner Adam Silver angered Chinese officials further when he defended the right of players and team executives to free speech. China represents a lucrative market for the NBA, which stands to lose millions of dollars in revenue and threatens to alienate Chinese fans. Many have taken to Chinas social media platforms to express their outrage and disappointment that the NBA would question the countrys sovereignty over Hong Kong which has been mired in anti-government protests since June.(Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
