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Last Friday, Rockets GM Daryl Morey had the nerve to express his support for the millions of pro-democracy protesters who have taken to the streets of Hong Kong over the past few months by sending out a now-deleted tweet that inadvertently sparked an international incident.
The backlash was swift and immediate, as the Chinese Basketball Association quickly announced it was cutting ties with the Rockets. In an attempt to save face, James Harden issued a personal apology and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta threw Morey under the bus before the NBA decided to do the same thing.
Listen….@dmorey does NOT speak for the @HoustonRockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of the @NBA internationally and we are NOT a political organization. @espn https://t.co/yNyQFtwTTi
— Tilman Fertitta (@TilmanJFertitta) October 5, 2019
The NBA offers a formal statement kowtowing to China on Hong Kong.
I’m disgusted.
If you care about democracy, freedom, and American values, let the @NBA know how you feel. pic.twitter.com/5MxmlA83Ln
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 7, 2019
However, commissioner Adam Silver would eventually reverse course ever so slightly after he issued a statement in which he implicitly expressed his support for Morey by saying everyone affiliated with the NBA should be free to speak their mind without having to worry about retaliation from the league.
Adam Silver has released statement on league’s relationship status with China, reading in part: “The NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues. We simply could not operate that way.” pic.twitter.com/A43BOAdG57
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 8, 2019
It’s safe to say the Chinese government wasn’t exactly thrilled with this new development, as the country’s state-run network CCTV announced it will immediately stop broadcasting preseason games played in China in response to Silver’s comments (it also criticized his relationship with Japan just for good measure).
https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/1181555811048476672
The announcement came shortly after China essentially banned South Park, which resulted in Trey Parker and Matt Stone throwing some shade in the NBA’s direction.
Watch the full episode – https://t.co/oktKSJdI9i@THR article – https://t.co/nXrtmnwCJB pic.twitter.com/Xj5a1yE2eL
— South Park (@SouthPark) October 7, 2019
Silver said he’ll be making a trip to Shanghai to attend the matchup between the Lakers and the Nets and hopes that he’ll be able to speak to officials there in an attempt to sort out their differences (although he admitted that might be easier said than done).
I wish him—and the people in Hong Kong—the best of luck.