Photo: U.S. Senator’s Customized NBA Jersey Is Going Viral

Andrew Holleran
A picture of a Spalding NBA basketball.
A picture of a Spalding NBA basketball.

A photo of a U.S. Senator’s customized NBA jersey is going viral on social media this weekend.

Josh Hawley, a United States Senator from Missouri, has been a vocal critic of the NBA and the league’s relationship with China. It was Hawley who received the “f–k you” email from ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Hawley had sent a letter criticizing the NBA for its relationship with China.

The U.S. Senator isn’t backing down in his criticism of the league, either. Hawley recently ordered a customized NBA jersey.

Hawley ordered a Houston Rockets jersey with “Free Hong Kong” on the back nameplate. He said the jersey is a tribute to Rockets GM Daryl Morey, “maybe the only person in NBA world with the guts to stand up to imperialist, colonizing, slave state.”

Morey tweeted “Free Hong Kong” ahead of the NBA’s trip to China last fall. The tweet had major repercussions, as China backed out of several of its business agreements with the NBA.

Some estimations suggested that Morey’s tweet cost the NBA between $150 million and $200 million, according to ESPN.

China’s decision to pull sponsorships and television coverage because Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong in October is believed to have cost the NBA anywhere between $150 million and $200 million, league sources said.

The NBA continues to be criticized by some for its reaction to Morey’s tweet, as Hawley is fully displaying.

The post Photo: U.S. Senator’s Customized NBA Jersey Is Going Viral appeared first on The Spun.

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