Chinese broadcaster NBA partner Tencent presents current or archived Boston Celtics games on the platform in response to comments made by Celtics center Enes Kanter to claim Tibetan independence. I have not.
As part of a series of social media posts, Canter also called China’s President Xi Jinping a “dictator.” Canter didn’t play during the Boston season-opened a 138-134 defeat in New York on Wednesday night. Games that typically didn’t show up on streaming services that broadcast most NBA games to millions of people in China.
There was no immediate comment on the NBA and the Celtics weren’t practicing on Thursday. Also, it wasn’t immediately clear how long Tencent’s plan to not air the Celtics would last.
Canter wore shoes decorated with the word “Free Tibet” during the game on Wednesday night. “More than 150 Tibetans burned alive! — I hope such an act raises more awareness about Tibet. I am standing with my Tibetan brothers and sisters and I support their call for freedom, “he wrote on Twitter.
League and China since October 2019, when Houston’s then general manager Darryl Morley tweeted in support of Hong Kong’s government protesters, causing a league blackout in the world’s most populous country. Relationship is compromised.
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The NBA games were eventually returned to Tencent’s lineup, with the exception of two games at the 2020 NBA Finals, but not to state television provider CCTV. Tencent did not offer Philadelphia games last season. Molly is the first game in 76ers.
When asked about Canter’s post, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, “The player you mentioned was chasing influence in an attempt to pay attention to Tibetan-related issues.” Said. “His false statement is not worth refuting.”
Chinese Communist Party leaders are very sensitive to what they consider to be external interference with domestic political issues. After Molly’s tweet, the fallout was immeasurable, and sponsors gained support for the NBA China game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets a few days later, following the CCTV lead. The NBA estimated that the tense relationship with the Chinese and the loss of broadcast rights meant that the league missed about $ 400 million in revenue in the 2019-20 season alone.
“It’s unclear if we’ll be back on CCTV TV in China this year,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this week.
So far, the fallout from Kanter’s comments doesn’t seem to be as serious as the immediate response to the soon-to-be-deleted Morey tweet. The other NBA games played on Wednesday were offered at Tencent, and three games scheduled for Thursday appeared in the list of providers.
Born in Turkey, Canter was a candid critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish government. Mr. Canter said his passport was revoked by the Turkish government in 2017.
The NBA isn’t the only one tackling difficult issues in relation to China. Many groups have called on the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees to boycott the Beijing Olympics this winter to support human rights issues.
The USOPC will send all teams to China for the February Olympics.
Susanne Lyons, chair of the USOPC Board of Directors, said: “It’s really a place where sports can establish their position.”
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Celtics Blacked Out in China After Canter’s Tibetan Comments | Nation
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