SportsNBA walks a fine line on China as commissioner eyes return
Sports leagues juggle free speech with need to stay in Beijing's good graces
The Brooklyn Nets' Theo Pinson, left, drives against the Los Angeles Lakers' Danny Green during a preseason NBA basketball game at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai in October 2019. © AP
JOHN DUERDEN, Contributing writer
October 27, 2024 07:28 JST
LONDON -- The commissioner of the National Basketball Association believes it is time for the hugely popular American professional sports league to cut its losses and bring basketball back to China. But the NBA, as other sports bodies have found, will have to walk a fine line between allowing free speech and the need to stay in Beijing's good graces.