The National Basketball Association’s relationship with China is a modern, billion-dollar balancing act, fraught with political tension and ethical conflict. On this episode of BenchMarks, Nick Morgasen dives deep into the complex, often contradictory, ties that bind the world's most globally successful sports league to the world's second-largest economy.

We trace the history of the NBA's expansion into China, that all began with then commissioner Larry O'Brien and the Washington Bullets stepping foot in China inn 1979, that would be further spearheaded by the vision of former commissioner David Stern, which evolved into a multi-billion-dollar market fueled by broadcasting deals and the legacy of players like Yao Ming. The episode then unpacks the 2019 crisis, where a single, seven-word tweet from then-Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey expressing support for Hong Kong protesters triggered a diplomatic and financial firestorm that cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars.

Billion Dollar Lines examines the difficult choices the league, its owners, and its socially conscious players face when American ideals of free speech clash with the commercial pressures and political realities of doing business with an authoritarian state. We explore the financial stakes, the human rights concern regarding regions like Xinjiang, and the lasting precedent the controversy set for American corporations navigating the global political stage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.