The National Basketball Association (NBA) appointed a new chief executive officer (CEO) in China. The newly appointed executive claimed that he is under pressure and is finding ways to make amends with Beijing after the NBA engaged in a backlash with the Chinese government.
According to CNN, the NBA appointed veteran sports executive Michael Ma as the new CEO for the league's business in mainland China. The report claimed that, to date, China is the NBA's most significant market.
Ma's appointment would be effective come June. The report claimed that he would assume a tricky position after the NBA engaged in a backlash with the Chinese government last year. As a result, the Chinese state-run television network CCTV then banned the airing of NBA games in the country.
Ma already functioned as the CEO of prominent sports talent management agency Endeavor China before his NBA appointment. He also worked with NBA New York and Beijing for more than 10 years. He is also the first Chinese citizen to assume the post since the NBA office first operated in 2009.
Ma's appointment was said to be the NBA's move to appoint a Chinese citizen as its executive in the country to help ease tensions. He was also perceived to find a remedy on the suspended ties between the NBA and its Chinese partners when the backlash occurred. It was also revealed that Ma's father, Ma Guoli, was labeled as the father of CCTV Sports and ran it for 16 years. Last Tuesday, Ma Gouli resigned as the adviser to the Chinese Basketball Association.
Despite the appointment of Ma, China's CCTV still refuses to air NBA games in the country. Last Tuesday, CCTV said in a statement that it has no intention of resuming broadcast of NBA-related content. It then highlighted that Daryl Morey's Hong Kong tweet last year remains the primary reason for the suspension.
Last October 4, 2019, NBA's general manager of the Houston Rockets Daryl Morey disrupted the NBA-China relationship. He tweeted his support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong that angered the Chinese government. Morey then deleted his tweet and clarified that his tweet is not associated with the NBA.
Subsequently, last February 2020, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league lost 300 million USD in revenue from China after the controversy. Before the pandemic shut down the NBA, the league then revised its salary-cap projections slightly lower for next season. The mitigated estimates were said to be a response to the loss of Chinese income. Silver then expressed hope that the NBA could resume its positive relationship with China.
