The cultural politics of the NBA and China: Understanding the Daryl Morey incident

This research explores the Daryl Morey incident as a case of international communication. On October 4, 2019, the general manager of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey, posted a seven-word tweet saying "Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong" that showed support for the violent protests in Hong Kong. This led to a major fallout in the NBA's relationship with China. This paper analyzes this case as an index to the larger picture of US-China relationship. Firstly, I evaluate the development of the NBA in China with the efforts made by Yao Ming from cultural, political, and economical perspectives. Secondly, I examine the details of the Daryl Morey incident to reveal the influence of this incident in China and the factors influencing the NBA's campaign in China. Lastly, I develop insights from the Daryl Morey incident at both macro and micro levels to evaluate the influence of this incident on US-China relationship. In conducting this research, I will play particular attention to the impact of social media in shaping the incident and considers the future of NBA's sport diplomacy in China.