Rumors

While the Sixers are home waiting on next week’s NBA draft lottery, Daryl Morey is making news on Capitol Hill. During a Senate hearing on the shift in sports broadcasting from television to streaming Tuesday, an old tweet from the Sixers’ president of basketball operations resurfaced during one senator’s interaction with NBA executive William Koenig, who handles the league’s media rights deals. In October 2019, while still the general manager of the Houston Rockets, Morey offered his support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong by sharing a graphic stating, “Fight For Freedom Stand with Hong Kong.”

inquirer.com

“You all have had quite a cozy relationship with the [Chinese Communist Party],” Blackburn said, pressing Koeing on whether the NBA cut a deal or conceded on the free speech front to shore up their financial interests in China. “Senator, I can certainly confirm that one of the NBA’s most important values is freedom of speech,” Koeing said. “In fact, the example you cited before of Daryl Morey, he was not disciplined or censored in any way in light of the comments that he made .” As for the hearing itself, not much ground was covered, and most of the senators on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee — including Sens. John Fetterman (D., Pa), Andy Kim (D., N.J.) and Lisa Blount Rochester (D., Del.) — were no-shows. A handful of senators used their time to pontificate about the Trump administration’s plans to defund PBS and NPR.

inquirer.com

Former NBA star Derrick Rose said he would play for the Yao Foundation in a charity game in mainland China this August while on a trip to Hong Kong on Wednesday. Rose was in the city for a basketball clinic session with GOAT Lab – an elite basketball training centre for all age ranges – in Tsim Sha Tsui, after visiting Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai, where he met former Houston Rocket centre Yao Ming.

SCMP

With president-elect Donald Trump set to be inaugurated Monday and vowing to impose tariffs on Chinese exports, Nets owner Joe Tsai— who is the chairman and co-founder of Chinese giant Alibaba — weighed in. “Right now, this is, I could say definitively, the most unfriendly geopolitical environment that we’ve been in,” Tsai said this week at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. “As a Chinese company, if we want to do business in the U.S., we’re gonna get hit by whatever it may be, [including] tariffs.”

New York Post

Hong Kong has missed out on hosting NBA matches because of inadequate facilities, sources told the Post, after the league announced a five-year multi-million dollar deal to stage multiple games in Macau starting next year. The Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will play on October 10 and 12, with two more games reportedly in the works for 2026.

SCMP

And in a blow to Hong Kong’s hopes of hosting top-level events, sources said while the city had been on the NBA’s radar for more than a decade, Macau’s better venues allowed it to outmuscle its neighbour.

SCMP

The return is the culmination of a yearslong process to repair the relationship between the NBA and China following commissioner Adam Silver and the league's support for freedom of expression after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted an image that supported protests in Hong Kong in October 2019.

ESPN

The jersey worn by LeBron James as a prep star for the famous Sports Illustrated “Chosen One” cover shoot continues to grow in stature among collectors — and in value. Julien’s Auctions announced that the jersey, worn by James in 2002 when he played for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, sold for a record $1.3 million during the auction house’s “Legends in Motion” sale on Sept. 28. The winning bid at the Hong Kong sale set a record for a high school basketball jersey sold at auction.

sportscollectorsdaily.com

NBA All-Star Paul George was hoping for more sunshine for his first visit to Hong Kong, while the returning Jimmy Butler said he enjoyed every moment in the city after also visiting last summer. The pair are among a quartet of stars playing on Tuesday in a charity basketball game organised by China’s NBA legend Yao Ming, as part of his foundation’s work with youth.

SCMP

“Hopefully the weather tomorrow is a little better, breaking some California sunshine,” said George, who signed for the Philadelphia 76ers in the off season after leaving the Clippers. “But I am excited to be here, it’ll be a blast. Just like what Jimmy [Butler] said before, we’re getting to showcase what we do and play alongside some good talent … Everything here is new to me] so I’ll be taking everything in just one day at a time.”

SCMP

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden and Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma were also expected to play at the game at AsiaWorld-Expo, although neither were scheduled to arrive until hours before it started.

SCMP

Dwight Howard: Hello Hong Kong 🇭🇰😅 香港，我嚟喇！ pic.twitter.com/DqYjxseTEm

Twitter

Former Mavericks player Dominique Jones signed with Chinese NBL team Hong Kong Bulls for the 2024 season.

HoopsHype

The final matches of the NBA season will be screened live at selected Imax cinemas in Hong Kong and Taiwan from June 6. The screenings are the first time that Imax China, the offshoot of Imax Corp., the Canadian giant screen cinema and equipment company, offers a live sports experience. It comes as a result of a first-time deal between Imax China and NBA China.

Variety.com