Anta Sports announced it is cutting off contract renewal negotiations with the NBA in the wake of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet about Hong Kong, according to Reuters.
On its Weibo page, Anta announced Tuesday that it would halt contract negotiations with the league. “In response to the recent comments made by the Houston Rockets and NBA executives, we are as shocked and dissatisfied as the Chinese NBA fans,” reads a translated statement from the brand. “Anta firmly opposes and resists all acts that harm the interests of the motherland, and we will immediately stop renewing negotiations with NBA companies.”
Anta-endorsed NBA players include Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, and Rajon Rondo, Anta was named the official marketing and merchandising partner of NBA China in 2014 and contract renewal negotiations were suspended.
In a tweet Friday that was later deleted, Morey posted an image that read “Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
The tweet created a firestorm of debate involving Morey, the Rockets and the NBA as a whole. multiple Chinese other companies have pulled their sponsorships.
Morey’s tweet was in reference to recent protests in Hong Kong sparked by a proposed law that would have allowed fugitives to be extradited from Hong Kong to China. There is some belief the law could threaten Hong Kong’s autonomy from China.
This isn’t the first time the Hong King-China conflict has found its way into sneaker culture. In June, Nike canceled its Undercover Daybreak collaboration in China after a social media post in support of Hong Kong made by designer Jun Takahashi.
In April, Anta Sports completed the acquisition of Amer Sports, whch includes Salomon, Arc’teryx, Peak Performance, Atomic, Mavic, Suunto, Wilson and Precor.
Photo courtesy Anta Sports
