Nike Pulls Houston Rocket Merchandise From China

(Yahoo-National Review)

Nike has withdrawn Houston Rockets sneakers and other merchandise from stores in major Chinese cities after the basketball team’s general manager tweeted in support of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.

Managers of Nike stores in Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities received a memo from the company instructing them to remove the merchandise, according to Reuters.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey had defended the Hong Kong protesters in a tweet, which he subsequently retracted. Morey then posted a statement saying he hoped “that those [Chinese fans] who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention.”

The NBA subsequently issued a statement calling Morey’s comments “inappropriate” before backtracking and defending his right to free speech in the face of widespread public backlash. Read more