The NBA will now let fans buy custom made “FreeHongKong” jerseys.
It wasn’t possible to buy a “FreeHongKong” jersey at the NBA’s official league store as of Monday, but you could buy “KillCops” and “F**kPolice” jerseys. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Here is audio of the NBA store telling me I can’t buy a FreeHongKong jersey, but I can buy a KillCops jersey.
Eventually, once they realized what was happening, they claimed they couldn’t sell me anything because of high call volume and system error. pic.twitter.com/S9bdj9xgXU
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) July 13, 2020
As of Tuesday morning, customers can now get a “FreeHongKong” jersey if they want one. A statement given to me on behalf of Fanatics, which operates the NBA shop, reads, “The phrase was inadvertently prohibited on all our league online store sites and has now been fixed. Fans who wish to customize it, so long as the text meets the 12-character limit, are able to do so.”
While I don’t believe for a single second that it was “inadvertently prohibited,” I’m glad to see that policy was changed.
UPDATE: The NBA is now letting fans create custom “FreeHongKong” jerseys after initially not allowing them to be made.
I’m actually shocked the NBA reversed course and is allowing fans to buy these. pic.twitter.com/UNfJbCkGMe
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) July 14, 2020
I even tried it out myself on the NBA store’s website, and had no problems creating a “FreeHongKong” jersey.
You know damn well that the Chinese dictatorship won’t like this, but it is what it is at this point. The backlash on Twitter yesterday after my breaking report was swift and harsh.
Now, it seems like the NBA has quickly backed down.
I’m on the phone with the NBA store right now. Sales rep says I can’t buy a FreeHongKong jersey, but I can buy a KillCops jersey if I want one.
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) July 13, 2020
We’ll see how many of these jerseys fly off of the shelves now that fans can make them. Something tells me they’re going to be selling like hotcakes.