NBA player James Harden is enjoying lavish coverage from Chinese state media and selling out on his name-brand wine collection after disparaging the president of the Philadelphia 76ers, Daryl Morey, during an event in Beijing this week.
Harden is reluctantly on the 76ers roster after requesting to be traded out, preferably to the Los Angeles Clippers, in June. After nearly two months of attempting to find him a new home, reports surfaced this week the 76ers had stopped trying to trade Harden and were preparing to have him return to the team in the new season, as no other NBA teams were interested in paying the steep price for the 33-year-old player that Philadelphia was demanding.
Daryl Morey, then-general manager of the Houston Rockets, speaks during a press conference on July 19, 2012, in Houston, Texas. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)
In response to the news that he would remain with the team, Harden appeared to leverage the Chinese Communist Party’s longstanding feud with Morey — over a 2019 social media post in support of pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters — in remarks in Beijing on Monday.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden proclaimed angrily in remarks during an Adidas promotional event. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
Harden did not offer any further comment, leaving unclear what Morey lied about, why he appeared especially upset at Morey as opposed to other team officials, or if his remarks meant that he would no longer be playing in the NBA this season, as Morey’s team is the only one expressing an interest in keeping him on staff.
Harden, like many top-tier NBA players, enjoys lucrative business opportunities in China, blessed by the Communist Party. In turn — despite NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly encouraging political statements in the league — players rarely comment on the Party’s gross record of human rights atrocities. China is currently engaging in an ongoing genocide in a region where the NBA maintained a training camp and has a record of widespread racism against black-skinned people, most prominently banned from hotels and restaurants during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.
Hundreds of basketball fans gather in Wan Chai Southorn Playground to show support of the Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey on October 15, 2019, in Hong Kong (Lampson Yip/Getty Images)
Morey broke the unspoken rule not to condemn Chinese communism in 2019 by posting a message on Twitter reading, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” At the time, one of the largest resistance movements against communism had erupted in the formerly autonomous city, prompting protests attracting as many as 2 million of the city’s 7 million residents demanding that China abide by an agreement not to impose communist law on Hong Kong. As part of the handover of the city from Britain to China, Beijing agreed to a policy known as “One Country, Two Systems,” in which Hong Kong would yield its sovereignty to China but China could not impose laws passed by Beijing on the capitalist city.
The Communist Party violently cracked down on peaceful protesters, forcing most leaders into prison or exile. Following the passage of a “national security law” through the Chinese National People’s Congress in 2020, “One Country, Two Systems” is effectively dead.
Riot police arrest a man during an anti-government protest on September 6, 2020, in Hong Kong. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
Morey’s post, which he later deleted and apologized for, cost the NBA “hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to Commissioner Silver. China stopped broadcasting NBA games and cut access to its market. At the time, both Morey and Harden were with the Houston Rockets, the most popular NBA team in China due to Yao Ming’s long career there. Harden publicly apologized for Morey’s comments effusively, telling reports, “We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there … they show us the most important love.”
Following Harden’s insults against Morey on Monday, Chinese state media began publishing effusive reports praising Harden, implying he was avenging China for Morey’s support of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement. The government propaganda newspaper Global Times claimed that the Communist Party-controlled social media outlets in China were flooded with supportive statements for Harden. On Weibo, the largest of these websites, the hashtag “Harden called Morey a liar” allegedly trended favorably. The Global Times claimed one Weibo user made the case of China being a free speech haven for NBA players: “Why did he have to wait and say these words when he traveled to China? Because he knew he’d have everyone’s support here.”
“Along with the post was a photo showing emotional fans holding Chinese national flags and banners denouncing Morey,” the Times reported.
Harden has earned more than regime-approved social media comments for his words. On Tuesday, the basketball player appeared on the channel of popular livestream salesman “CrazyXiaoyangge” to sell bottles of his wine brand, “J-Harden.” Alleged followers of the livestream channel bought 10,000 bottles of wine in ten seconds, prompting an allegedly shocked Harden to shout and jump for joy. Communist Party-censored Weibo made the video of Harden selling out his wine go viral.
“[Harden’s] future will be in the Chinese Basketball Association and live-streaming!” comments not censored by the regime on Weibo read.
“The beard now feared! Visiting NBA superstar James Harden got a taste of Chinese speed with his jaw on the floor, as he sold out 10,000 bottles from his J-HARDEN brand wine within seconds during a live commerce on Tuesday night,” the Global Times celebrated.
“Diehard Harden fans even suggested that if the NBA star is not happy in the American basketball league, he is welcomed to joint Team China and become an influencer on the Chinese internet,” the Global Times continued, echoing the sentiments of allegedly organic social media posts on Weibo.
Harden is also using his time in China to sell his Adidas-branded athletic wear. Harden appeared at an event this week for the brand wearing never-before-seen sneakers appearing to be an upcoming Halloween model, featuring a jack-o’-lantern and glow-in-the-dark bones. On social media, he attempted a choreographed dance with a model.
China is accustomed to welcoming NBA stars during the off-season in America, but had not orchestrated any such visits for years following the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Milwaukee Bucks champion Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first post-pandemic NBA player visitor, engaging in similar sponsorship appearances and fan events, in July.