Welcome to Texas Proerata, where we take just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

Sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank, Ideas Bank here. I'm Dampramack. On today's show, more trouble for WeWork and a push to stop police from using ring doorbells.

But first, the Rockets Red Glare.

Even if you're not an NBA fan, you'd probably by now know about Darrell Mori, the general

manager of the Houston Rockets, who on Friday tweeted out support for the protesters in Hong

Kong.

It was literally the tweet heard round the world, as China went ballistic, blacking out preseason

games and issuing a public condemnation. And remember, the Houston Rockets aren't just any NBA team.

They're the NBA team most responsible for the league's popularity in China because they had

Yao Ming. Yao Ming now runs the China Basketball Association, which in response to Mori's tweet, suspended ties with the rockets.

So, Mori quickly pulled down the tweet, didn't apologize, but pulled it down, and was then kind of rebuked by the team's owner and even its star player.

The NBA called it, quote, regrettable, causing its own backlash stateside before last night reaffirming the right to freedom of expression among

team players, executives, and coaches. And just to make it all a little bit more complicated,

there was also a lengthy statement from Joe Tsai, the Alibaba founder who just bought the

Brooklyn Nets with hopes of leveraging the Chinese market. He argued in favor of China's response,

explaining sensitivities around what he called separatists,

albeit without addressing the actual democracy concerns of the Hong Kong protesters.

All of this is, in short, a disaster for the NBA and a massive test for Commissioner

Adam Silver.

There are billions of dollars at stake, and also at stake, American Pro Sports League that,

more than any other,

has encouraged its people to speak up on social and political issues important to them.

...