Players even stemming to the Chicago Bulls organization could start to open up more on the China backlash after LeBron James spoke his mind on Oct. 14.
A move that had a league wide impact of late throughout the NBA preseason was the Tweet from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey that sparked tensions with China politically. This social media move from Morey got an immediate reaction from the Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and the NBA commissioner Adam Silver to try and repair the damage with China and more specifically the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association). This impact will stem from the Rockets all the way over to a team like the Chicago Bulls.
With all the global expansion efforts of the NBA’s big market teams, having the biggest country population-wise in the world cut so many ties here has such a big impact on so many aspects of the game. The Bulls in particular are one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA and sit among the most popular teams worldwide. Losing out on the China market wouldn’t hurt anyone as much as it would the Rockets, but a big market storied franchise like the Bulls would also lose a lot on their bottom line.
Given their impression around the league, the Reinsdorfs would have to be down on this move from Morey. The Bulls do seem to care about the bottom line, and prioritize it more, than almost any other team in the NBA.
Seeing the NBA’s top stars starting to speak out on this subject will continue to be an interesting storyline to follow.
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
It took a while for the more prominent individual NBA stars to speak out on this matter. Two of the more important players to hear out on the NBA-China tensions included Rockets shooting guard James Harden and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
Lakers’ LeBron James on NBA’s China controversy: “I don’t want to get into a ... feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.” pic.twitter.com/KKrMNU0dKR
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 15, 2019
More than likely the take on this situation that NBA fans will find the most crucial beyond Morey is LeBron. He spoke out on the situation on Oct. 14 and didn’t seem to side with Morey on this ordeal. He looked to be on the same side of the spectrum as the commissioner Silver.
There isn’t really a significant take on this China struggle that came from any Bulls players yet. While the Bulls have a bottom line that is directly intertwined with the turnout of these tensions between the NBA and China, it is worth continually monitoring what this organization does through these circumstances.
Anyway you look at it, LeBron’s take on this matter is going to open the door for the rest of the NBA’s players to follow suit. This could also open the door for the Bulls organization to give their perspective on China’s drawback from NBA relations in the coming weeks.