Chinese Censorship Has Officially Reached The NBA – Fans Ejected For ‘Free HK Signs’

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Chinese Censorship Has Officially Reached The NBA – Fans Ejected For ‘Free HK Signs’

 

After Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted his support for the Hong Kong protestors, the NBA has faced a major backlash from China. Everything that has to do with the Rockets has basically been deleted in China. Nike stopped selling Rockets products and in every fan shop or NBA related website or store in China, you’ll only find 29 existing NBA teams from now on.

And ever since NBA commissioner Adam Silver thankfully and admirably stepped in, not apologizing for Morey exercising his freedom of expression saying that freedom of speech and opinion is an important value in the NBA, China also cancelled other NBA games and events that had been scheduled for this or the coming weeks.

While many teams also feared repercussions and therefore remained silent, the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers took it up a notch and banned fans or signs from their arena that were voicing support for Hong Kong.

The Chinese censorship has officially reached the NBA. This past Tuesday in Philadelphia, Sixers fan Sam Wachs and his wife were ejected from the Sixers’ preseason game against the Guangzhou Long-Lions, for holding “Free Hong Kong” and “Free HK” signs. The signs were confiscated in the second quarter and they were escorted out of the arena.

 

 

Then, during the Washington Wizards’ preseason game against said Long-Lions, Wizards fan John Schweppe had their “Free Hong Kong” signs confiscated at Capitol One Arena.

 

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