NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski issues apology for a reply to senator's email on NBA, China
Adrian Wojnarowski, a leading NBA insider with ESPN sports network, may have put his job in jeopardy. Affectionately known as "Woj", the journalist spent a decade from 2007 working for Yahoo Sports. He began working for ESPN in July of 2017. Adrain Wojnarowski is also an author of the book "Miracle of St. Anthony.
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NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski's Troublesome Email
The Senator, Josh Hawley is a Republican who usually takes a hardline stance against the Chinese government. Also, Hawley and the Republican party are aligned with President Donald Trump who has been blaming China for the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19.
When Adrian Wojnarowski caught sight of the Senator's email, he chooses to respond with the following email response: "f*** you!"
Adrian Wojnarowski has apologized to the US senator and his ESPN colleagues for his actions. It is not clear why Adrian Wojnarowski felt the need to defend the NBA in the first place.
This issue started with Daryl Morey of the Houston Rockets
The controversy surrounding Adrian Worjanrowski is over an email he sent in response to one by US Senator Josh Hawley. The senator's email criticized the NBA as a League due to their perceived political inaction with the Chinese government during civilian protests in that country, The NBA tends to be quite progressive usually working against injustice.
Houston Rockets' general manager, Daryl Morley, received backlash from the NBA, players, and others for speaking out in favor of the Hong Kong protestors in 2019. Daryl Morey's original tweet included an image captioned: "Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.". After his owner, Tilman Fertitta tweeted that Morey did not speak for the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey eventually apologized and deleted his tweet supporting the protests.
NBA's rise in China Economically
The NBA from an economic and political standpoint may feel inclined to turn a blind eye to aspects of the Chinese government's nature because the league takes in a lot of revenue from the Asian superpower. In 2012, for example, that figure was around 150 million dollars back in. The NBA's inroads into the Chinese market began when Yao Ming was drafted back in 2002. He was a huge Chinese international star playing for the Houston Rockets.
The problem concerning China began back in October of 2019 and because of Daryl Morey's statements, China’s state-run television announced it would not broadcast two N.B.A. preseason games in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Those games featured basketball’s biggest star, LeBron James of the LA Lakers. The NBA's commissioner, Adam Silver, issued a defense of its employees’ rights at the time.
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