The Houston Rockets were entangled in an ordeal in China that could have an impact stemming to big market teams like the Chicago Bulls.
A controversial situation ongoing right now in the world of basketball, and specifically in the relationship between one NBA team and the Chinese Basketball Association, is something that could have an impact on all 30 teams. The Houston Rockets were the team specifically involved in an incident from a Tweet from general manager Daryl Morey (which was since deleted) that voiced support for Hong Kong. But this impact could stem to big market teams in the NBA that are very popular globally like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Due to the Rockets having such close ties with the CBA, this connection to Morey looks to be a problem. According to an ESPN report, the CBA suspended work with the Rockets completely after this Tweet surfaced from Morey.
The Rockets owner, Tilman Fertitta, quoted the Tweet from Morey and tried to distance himself and the organization from this situation. This clearly created a social media firestorm that is still having a big impact around the CBA and the NBA.
Moreover, this is also a really big deal since the president of the CBA is a former Rockets great center and an NBA Hall-of-Famer Yao Ming. It creates a lot of friction between the organization Ming played his best days in the NBA for and the league he now represents in China.
Listen....@dmorey does NOT speak for the @HoustonRockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of the @NBA internationally and we are NOT a political organization. @espn https://t.co/yNyQFtwTTi
— Tilman Fertitta (@TilmanJFertitta) October 5, 2019
This is a very interesting situation since the Rockets ownership seems to still be backing the work of Morey as the team’s general manager. According to a piece from ESPN’s Tim McMahon, Fertitta stated earlier this week that he thinks he has the “best general manager in the league” (referring to Morey).
Furthermore, this cutting of ties between China and Rockets will lose them a lot of sponsorship and viewership overseas. Two of the biggest sponsors the Rockets will be reportedly losing are Li-Ning (sportswear brand) and SPD Bank.
What is the specific impact to the Bulls organization that this move from the CBA and all the connected organizations to the Rockets had to cut ties of late could have?
Last year, the NBA was reportedly the most popular professional sports league in China. Being one of the five most valuable (per Forbes 21st annual valuations) NBA franchises, the Bulls could take a hit if this league’s market in China drops off at all.
The Bulls made a big push in the past three decades to get their popularity up along with the rest of the NBA worldwide. Of the 30 NBA teams, the Bulls have played in some of the most games overseas since the 1990’s.
However, this is definitely a situation to monitor moving forward. While the most detrimental impact this move has between the NBA and CBA comes with the Rockets. But this impact could limit the immaculate growth of late for the NBA China market. Overseas political tensions are nothing for the NBA to delve too far into at the moment. And this seems like something the Rockets are letting Morey stand for himself.
The Bulls had a lot of popular players in the last three decades globally. Former superstar point guard Derrick Rose had his game and his marketability become very popular in China and the all-time great shooting guard Michael Jordan saw his popularity skyrocket overseas too throughout the 1990’s and the early 2000’s.