The Boston Celtics center posted a video to social media in which he labeled Chinese President Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator” and voiced support for Tibet’s independence.
Tencent, which as the NBA’s digital streaming partner in China attracts half a billion viewers a season, pulled the broadcast of the Celtics’ game against the New York Knicks. The team’s upcoming games are also no longer listed as available to stream in its broadcast schedule, and searches for Kanter’s name appeared to have been blocked on China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo.
“I’m here to add my voice and speak out about what is happening in Tibet. Under the Chinese government’s brutal rule, Tibetan people’s basic rights and freedoms are nonexistent,” he said, ending the video by repeating, “Free Tibet” three times. The Turkish government has revoked Kanter’s passport and issued warrants for his arrest on charges including defamation and terrorism.
Morey deleted the tweet and apologized, and the NBA said the league had “great respect for the history and culture of China” — comments that many in the U.S. saw as kowtowing to the Chinese government for fear of losing access to its hundreds of millions of potential eyeballs.A Chinese sportswear maker and two banks that sponsored the Rockets bailed on the team. And state-run CCTV broadcaster stopped showing the entire league.
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