China backlash over Mbappe raises fears of a repeat of NBA’s costly dispute

The row involving Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid and China has escalated beyond football, prompting comparisons with the dispute that cost the NBA hundreds of millions of dollars and disrupted its relationship with one of its most important international markets.

China’s state broadcaster stopped showing La Liga matches after Mbappe commented on a satirical image featuring his face superimposed on a picture of Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The France forward did not refer to Mao by name.

Mbappe, La Liga and Real Madrid have all issued apologies as concerns grow that the dispute could lead to substantial financial losses for the player, the Spanish league and the club.

The fallout has drawn parallels with a similar incident involving the NBA in 2019.

In October that year, Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets, posted a message on Twitter expressing support for the protests in Hong Kong. The post said: “Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

Morey deleted the message shortly afterwards, but the response from China was immediate. The Chinese Basketball Association, then led by former player Yao Ming, suspended its co-operation with the Rockets.

The Houston-based franchise was among the country’s most popular teams, largely because of Yao’s time with the club. The dispute soon spread beyond the Rockets, with China’s state broadcaster removing NBA games from its schedule and several companies suspending commercial agreements.

The NBA was left facing a major crisis in one of its key overseas markets.

Financial impact

In February 2020, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the dispute could cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars, although he estimated the eventual losses would be below $400m. The NBA lost $200m in 2019 alone after the controversy began.

Silver defended Morey’s right to freedom of expression despite the commercial consequences. The television boycott continued for an extended period, with Chinese state television making an exception to show one game from the 2020 finals between Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.

Regular NBA broadcasts did not return until 2022.

The financial consequences also affected the Rockets, who lost about $20m after commercial agreements were cancelled. The NBA was additionally forced to lower its projections for salary-cap growth because of the dispute with China.

The episode affected teams and players and highlighted the league’s commercial dependence on the Asian market.

Business relations have gradually improved since then. In October, the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks played two pre-season matches in Macau, showing the extent of the NBA’s efforts to rebuild ties with the Chinese market.

The consequences of the latest dispute have now reached Mbappe and Spanish football. Alongside the suspension of broadcasts on Chinese state television, several Chinese brands have ended their agreements with the French forward.

The NBA took several years to restore its relationship with China, underlining how an incident involving one individual can have consequences for an entire sports competition.