Former NBA player Guerschon Yabusele has been fined by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) because he didn’t look at the Chinese flag during the playing of China’s national anthem.
Yabusele received a fine of 10 000 Yuan or around $1400 for lacking the necessary respect towards the Chinese national flag. The power forward is currently playing for Chinese club Nanjing Monkey Kings, after spending last season at Maine Red Claws.
Yabusele was signed by Boston Celtics in the summer of 2016 but ultimately failed to impress there, continuing his career in the NBA Development League and recently, China.
Former NBA Player Yabusele sorry for lack of respect
The 23-year old French player regretted his actions immediately. He spoke to TMZ Sports, saying:
“I have the same routine, I’ve been doing this my whole career and I wanted to apologize for the people that took it Personnal [sic] because it was not my point. I will show my respect during the Chinese national anthem and keep my head up for now on, Love you guys.”
China has reacted sharply to all outsiders who’ve shown any kind of disrespect towards the communist nation’s positions. Recently, there was a wave of criticism towards the NBA after Daryl Morey, General Manager of Houston Rockets, expressed his solidarity with Hong Kong protesters.
