Last Friday night, a man named Daryl tweeted an image that read “FIGHT FOR FREEDOM/STAND WITH HONG KONG.” Daryl didn’t mention China, nor any specific objections or desired outcomes regarding the Hong Kong protests, a movement sparked by opposition to a Chinese extradition bill that’s grown to encompass demands for universal suffrage and an end to police brutality.

But this Daryl was Daryl Morey, general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, one of the league’s most celebrated executives for a team that may be the NBA’s most popular Chinese export. And his comments ignited an immediate, chilling backlash from the Chinese government, from Morey’s billionaire boss, and from the forever faux-progressive NBA, all of which remind us that capitalism and human decency are irreconcilable.

In the little over three days since Morey’s tweet, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) suspended cooperation with the Rockets, a week after the CBA’s Shanghai Sharks played the Rockets in an exhibition game in Houston. Chinese television announced it will no longer broadcast two surefire ratings-grabbing games this week between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. The government cancelled the Nets’ scheduled appearance at a court refurbishment ceremony at a Shanghai primary school. The sports website Hupu halted all coverage of the Rockets and locked their team section on the site. Tencent Holdings, the NBA’s official Chinese digital partner, dropped all media coverage of Morey and any reports or streaming of Houston’s games. Sporting goods brand Li-Ning said it’s ceasing cooperation with Houston due to Morey’s “mistaken remarks.” Taobao, the Chinese e-commerce platform, now returns zero results for the search term “Houston Rockets.”