The Bond Between the NBA and China Is Controversial

Athletes are usually not politicians. But I want them to be. Why can't they think like me? A white person in middle America. Why can't every athlete think like an American war general? How can an NBA player going to China be so controversial? I mean, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Anderson are going viral right now. What's going on? Yeah, we gotta talk about it. Of course, you guys know we love basketball. And I think we're perfectly positioned to sort of understand these topics, these viral topics, on a deeper level. Long story short, Jimmy Butler has signed with Li Ning. He has his own shoe out. He was touring in Taichung, China. He accidentally got hit in the head with a shoe. You know, when he was on tour, that kind of went viral. And then Kyle Anderson, this one's a little bit more geopolitical, has secured temporary Chinese citizenship to play for Team China in the Basketball World Championships. Oh, and that's only because he actually does have some Chinese heritage from Jamaica, from his great-grandfather. But anyways, guys, we're going to talk about it all. We got two stories. Please hit that Like button. Check out other episodes of the Hot Pop Boys. And especially leave a comment if you guys enjoy the news that we cover. Let's talk about the Jimmy Butler. Let's play the clip. As you can see, guys, him getting the shoe tossed at his head, it was kind of more of a funny moment, if anything. But, yeah, Andrew, they probably should not have done that. You know, there was other people holding up his signature JB1 sneaker to get it signed because it is true right now. I don't know what it is. It's a global trend, Andrew. A lot of superstars are getting stuff thrown at them on stage. Right. Why do you think that is? And I guess why did some people think it was out of malice? Even though it doesn't seem, even the throw, like the trajectory of the throw doesn't seem, like, malicious. Right. It's more like a toss. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, I think right now everybody wants clout and everybody wants to, like, get known for a viral moment. And they figure that he's not going to get to sign their shoe, only the people in the front with the JB1. I don't even know if they threw a Jimmy Butler sneaker. It looks more like a leaning team shoe. You know what I mean? But it's like, they're like, I just want to go viral. I want to engage with this, like, god of my, this pop cultural god to me by any means necessary. Let's get into the comments section, Andrew. Make sure you like, subscribe, turn on your notifications. Somebody said, yep, that's just one of the 11-year-old factory shoe workers delivering his order a little bit early. Yo, this is actually, that's a… Guys, they don't have, like, kids making these types of shoes, but I'm not going to lie, that comment is funny. It made me laugh. It's an old stereotype from the 90s. I'm not saying that an 11-year-old in China's history has never touched a shoe, but it probably wasn't in a Nike. The tooling is way too advanced. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of training that goes into making the shoes. Anyways, guys. Somebody said, American basketball players are absolutely 10 out of 10 superstars in China. Let's be real about things. I do not know, Andrew, if people understand, it's like seeing Drake mixed with Michael Jordan for any, like, NBA all-star, right? David, is throwing the Li Ning at Jimmy Butler kind of like that girl with the 36G bra, throw it at Drake? Except instead of a bra, it's just a shoe. It's like, Drake, take my bra! And this is like, hey, Jimmy, hands up! Yeah, I think it is the same level of just, like, adulation. Like, just crazed. It's fandom. And Jimmy Butler, Andrew, would not even get treated like that in America. No, I don't think anybody, I mean, honestly, in America, if anybody was going to throw anything at Jimmy Butler, it'd probably be something actually meant to do some damage. Right, right, right. I'm just saying. You wouldn't throw a shoe if you're trying to do damage. Why do you think basketball is so big in China? I read a bunch of different theories, Andrew. They said it was David Stern, the previous commissioner of the NBA. He had the foresight to sell the TV rights for very cheap to get it going. A lot of people said it's just a space issue because if you look at soccer, Andrew, you need a gigantic field for 22 players. In China, they would cram maybe like 15 to 20 courts, half court in there, and allow like 150 to 200 people to play in that same soccer field size. Well, luckily, David, if people want to go do a deep dive, we actually made a video on 10 reasons why Asians like basketball so much and we get really deep into the cultural aspects and even the physical aspects of the game. So you can watch that video right here. I know, Andrew, you have long had the theory that there are some similarities to aerial acrobatic wushu or Shaolin Kung Fu. Yes, it is. And even Wing Chun, let's be honest. Somebody said, as you can see, clearly it was just an accident. People were just fans of him. I can't believe people are trying to twist this story. Because there was some comments being like, oh, yeah, that's how they treat black people over there, or, yeah, he should beat that kid up. I was like, dude, it was totally, yes. Do I think the people in Taiyuan, Shaanxi, you know, the guy in the back, he should have a little bit of better manners, but he's just like in a craze. No, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then obviously a lot of people are like, oh, Jimmy's just there for the money. He's getting humiliated. Oh, like China doesn't care about him, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, guys, a lot, dude, a lot of NBA players that are even non-black are signing with Chinese shoe brands. Gordon Hayward, Austin Reeves, these are like your true blood American white guys, and they signed with Chinese brands. So they're about to go on tours too. What if this happens to Austin Reeves on accident? It's not going to be out of ill intent. Yeah, I think they love it because they feel like, almost like Post Malone at his peak. I don't even know who's just like, more like a Drake situation. Dude, you definitely get a different feeling when you're in China. Somebody said, yeah, that's Chinese etiquette for you. And somebody said mainlanders acting like mainlanders. Somebody said not surprising of all the larger East Asian countries, Chinese people are definitely the rudest. Somebody said it's because they are mostly socially awkward as individuals. Wait, wait, wait, now there's a comment that was saying, well, this wouldn't happen in Shanghai. Shanghai is a much nicer city than Taiyuan, which is like by Hebei and like Shaanxi. So it's not like a first tier city. No, it's very ancient looking. If you look at Jimmy Butler leaving the event, he's like walking through some gulo, like some like ancient great wall looking places. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe city people in Shanghai would behave differently. Maybe this wouldn't happen at sneaker con Shanghai. I don't know. Somebody said anything for the money, right, Jimmy? Humiliation and disrespect, accepting a major insult, a shoe hitting you in your head, but you don't make enough money. You'll sell out to the commies for a buck. Yeah, you and the rest of the NBA. I honestly, I think that's pretty much it for this story, though. I mean, I just think that, honestly, it was a bad throw. He shouldn't have thrown it. And then now it turns geopolitical. But this next story, David, about Kyle Anderson, who has some type of Chinese. He's a Chinese. He has Chinese heritage in his blood, right? Because a lot of Haka Chinese specifically, they went to Jamaica for trade about 100 years ago, maybe 120 years ago. And now he's about to play for Team China in the FIBA World Cup. That's crazy. Yeah, I mean, is it crazy? Is it crazy when Eileen Gu did the same thing, though? When Eileen Gu went and won a gold medal for Beijing, obviously in Beijing. Yeah, I think it's just a little bit different because Eileen's mother is from Beijing, like directly from Beijing. And then Kyle Anderson's great-grandfather is from China. So Kyle Anderson, his parents are not from China either. So I guess to people, it seems more like a reach-out. I think this is where the controversy is coming from, right? Yeah, I mean, I heard that his mom was really big on it because his mom, I believe, had grown up partially in Jamaica. And she looks part Asian in her eyes. So he was saying in an interview with the Chinese media, he was like, you know, growing up especially in the Jamaican community, we got asked if our family was Chinese for so long. My mom got asked her whole life growing up. So it was just like great to reconnect with our long-lost relatives in southern China. You're saying his family might have got treated as more Chinese than they actually even were. Yeah, because he said that his great-grandparents grew up within the Chinese Jamaican community, which is kind of its own enclave in Jamaica. Ah, I get it. So somebody said, let's get into the comments section. Somebody said, if you need money to play for a team in the CBA, I can understand. We all need to eat. But to choose to represent an oppressive dictatorship on the international stage, I can't accept it. And someone said, what do you mean, bro? Kyle had no chance of making a U.S. roster. If he wants to play with China, there's no problem. He didn't sell out. He just made a good business decision. Quit thinking that everybody needs to think about politics like you do. Yeah, that's a good point. Definitely, dude, I think especially athletes, they look at things more positively because they see the love and the support that they get from overseas fans. So to them, the borders are not as political. They're just like, dude, people out there like what I do. I play basketball. That's a universal language. So he's just like, why would I feel any type of way? They're not political people. It's true. Athletes are usually not politicians. But I want them to be. Why can't they think like me, a white person in middle America? Why can't every athlete think like an American war general? Like I said, honestly, I don't want to get into this too much. Minorities that are American citizens, we generally, I would say oftentimes, do not think about American geopolitical patriotism the same way that white people do or your white, blue-collar, you know, middle America stereotypical Billy Bob, to be honest. Somebody said, get ready to learn Chinese, buddy, but to deepen the connection with your ancestors. And somebody said, yeah, buddy, get ready to gain social credits. Somebody said, the title made it sound like they picked up Kyle Anderson in the racial draft. And someone said, yo, this gives me reverse U.S. Math Olympiad vibes. Oh, that's pretty funny. We just did a video about that. Right. Because, Andrew, most of the people on the U.S. team for Math Olympiad, if 75% to even 100%, depending on which team you're looking at, are Asian. Yeah. It's almost like reverse. Somebody said, this is just the same situation as Aileen Gu. The Chinese government typically does not allow people to have dual citizenship. However, they will make a temporary exception for exceptional athletes. Right, man. I mean, this is his life, his career, and his choice, man. Somebody said, Kyle is going to turn Chinese basketball around 180. Finally, it's going to make it to the final round of 16. It's a huge addition. And somebody said, yeah, maybe they finally stand a chance against South Sudan. This is, like, a deeper thing, guys, if you guys know about the Chinese national team. Andrew, I believe they get over a billion dollars of funding a year. Why does a Chinese basketball in general, why are they so bad? Like, they lose to, like, Sudan. All that, like, they have before in international competition, which is crazy because you got a bunch of guys. Some of those guys played in the NBA. Tso Chi, Yi Jianlin. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think we have talked about this on the channel. There's a lot of different reasons. But what I can say is this. I think Kyle Anderson actually, as a player, is great for Team China. He's a team player. He doesn't take too many shots. He's a playmaker. He's actually not that athletic, so he's hyper-skilled. Right. He's a slow point forward. Yeah. So I think he's great for Team China. He's going to be able to make a lot of plays. And I think that it sets up a good model for a lot of other Chinese players with his physique to possibly go to the NBA. Is he kind of like an ultra-tall, slow Jason Kidd or something like that, right? He's definitely some sort of triple, double machine. But instead, he gets all sixes or something like that. Somebody said, Andrew, instead of Slow Mo, his nickname now is going to be Slow Mao. But actually, his Chinese name, Andrew, is Li Kai Er. Li Kai Er. Like Kyle. Somebody said, wait, so besides Yao, does this basically make him the second greatest Chinese passport holder basketball player of all time? And someone said, hey, man, put some respect on Wang Ji Ji's name. Wang Ji Ji's name. And somebody said, yeah, but Sun Yue won a championship with the Lakers. And someone said, what about Yi Jie Lin? And somebody said, no, he's still behind Stephan Marbury. That's true. I don't know if Stephan ever got the passport, though. Somebody said the Chinese diaspora in Jamaica was pretty influential. The reggae industry was actually funded by Chinese gangsters and Chinese shop owners. I heard that. Yes. I heard that. Our Chinese Jamaican friend told us that. Somebody said, I don't understand why, as a black man, you would want to play for a country that hates black people. I mean, honestly, guys, this is just wrong. This is not true. This is wrong, man. Dude. I just think like people see one or two videos that and then they just judge everything off that dude. Dude, they get treated like honestly, NBA players get treated like they get treated better over there than they get treated in America. Treated like superstars. Somebody said, well, he did go to UCLA. You see a lot of Asians. He actually grew up in New Jersey, Andrew. So I think Kyle Anderson does have a lot of exposure to Asians. Other people, CBA fans or Chinese basketball fans were talking about how they just need one more ISO score. They wanted to get Isaiah Wong, Andrew, who played for the Miami Hurricane NCAA team, and he just got drafted to the Indiana Pacers, but he declined because he wants to focus on his NBA career. I think that's fair. There's also a guy, Stephen Hofat, who is part Chinese Caribbean, but he plays for France already. Yeah. So, Andrew, anyway, let's just get into our takeaways. The comment sections, you know, it goes everywhere from just like cheering them on to like inter-basketball discussions to geopolitical things. What's going on right now? Obviously, a lot of NBA players, they love going to China. A lot of the profitability from the NBA revenues is driven from China. They love basketball over there. Yeah, man. I think basically anything has to do with China now. People are making it geopolitical, and they're basically thinking, well, if you sign with a Chinese shoe brand, then you're fighting for Team China, and therefore, you're against the USA. We don't want you anymore. You might as well be on their side. Like Dojo and Kyrie over there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But are they going to say the same thing to Austin Reeves and Gordon Hayward? I'm just saying, guys, I like Gordon Hayward and Austin Reeves, but they also sign Chinese shoe brand deals. I'm just saying. They took the bag, too. So is everybody selling out, or is that just what you're supposed to do when you're an athlete? Yeah. You sell yourself. Also, they're trying to, like, bridge the gap. Yeah. They're trying to focus on, like, positive relations. Bro, at a time when I think you need to highlight the positive relationships between China and America, now it's funny to think of a Chinese shoe brand or to think of Chinese basketball as representing the Chinese government or the U.S. government. Or being able to mend any sort of, like, geopolitical rift, right, or tear. Yeah, but at the end of the day, I think it helps. I think it helps because I think there has to be better relationships between the two countries. Honestly, it's basketball diplomacy. Let us know what you think in the comments section below, both of the Jimmy Butler incident. By the way, the JB1 is a really dope sneaker. It's super expensive, though. It's, like, $270. It's got the foam outsole that's kind of like Flo-Tro. And shout-out to Kyle Anderson, Lee Kai-er, man. I think he's going to do a ton for that team because they definitely need some tall playmakers because if you guys know about Chinese guard play, that's probably the most subpar part of their offensive and defensive schemes. Until next time, guys, let us know what you think in the comments section. We the Hop Hop Boys. We out.