Yao Ming

After the general manager of the Houston Rockets drew a backlash in China with a tweet in support of anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong, the NBA swung into damage-control mode. The remarks of Daryl Morey had “deeply offended” fans, the league said in a statement on Monday morning, “which is regrettable.” But in an illustration of the political tightrope that foreign companies are forced to walk to secure access to the world’s second-biggest economy, the NBA’s statement in Chinese went farther than its English statement in condemning Morey. In a Chinese statement posted on the Weibo social media site, the NBA said it was “utterly disappointed with the inappropriate views expressed” b

As team China looked set for a defeat, Yao Ming appeared to be in agony. Hours later, a photo of the basketball star on the verge of tears rippled across Chinese social media as sports fans pondered the country’s prospect of making it to the Olympics. In a loss on Sunday that cost the Chinese men’s national team a direct ticket to the all-important 2020 Games, China suffered an 86 to 73 defeat to Nigeria in its final FIBA Basketball World Cup game. If the team fails to win the Olympic qualification tournaments starting June, it would be the first time since 1984 that the Chinese men’s basketball team misses the Olympics. This outlook is particularly grim for Yao, who brought the buzz back t