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N.B.A. takes heat from all fronts on China

The league has sought to defuse hostility in China to a Houston Rockets executive’s tweet defending Hong Kong protesters. That hasn’t worked — and instead has inspired outrage elsewhere.

The damage to the league in China has escalated:

• CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, said it would suspend streaming of preseason N.B.A. games played in China.

• Sponsors there have suspended their deals with the Rockets, one of the most popular N.B.A. teams in the country.

• Two exhibition games for a low-level team affiliated with the Rockets were canceled.

Criticism has come from America’s political parties as well. Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, accused the league of “groveling” to Beijing, while Beto O’Rourke said the league had shown a “blatant prioritization of profits over human rights.”