NBA commissioner Adam Silver has responded to criticism to his league’s initial response to the controversy over a tweet by Houston Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey, which supported Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters, deferred too much to Beijing’s views, even as a Chinese state broadcaster said it wouldn’t air two pre-season games in Shanghai later this week.
This time, he took a bolder stand in the league’s second attempt to state its position.
In a statement issued in Japan shortly before a pre-season game between the Rockets and Toronto Raptors Tuesday night, Silver rejected criticism that the NBA deferred to China out of concern for its business interests there. “This is about far more than growing our business,’’ Silver said. “Values of equality, respect and freedom have long defined the NBA—and will continue to do so.’’
Silver said the NBA couldn’t adjudicate political differences between the U.S. and China that that the NBA wouldn’t put itself in a position regulating what players, employees and team owners say about those issues.
Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs’ and 2020 Olympic coach and the league’s most outspoken social activist, said he was thrilled with the way Silver held firm to Morey’s freedom of expression.
And it wasn’t easy for him to say,’’ Popovich said. “He said that in an environment fraught with possible economic peril. But he sided with the principles that we all hold dearly, or most of us did until the last three years. So, I’m thrilled with that he said.”
An initial statement by the league over the weekend said the NBA recognized that Morey’s tweet “deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable.’’ An extra line in the Chinese version expressed “extreme disappointment” in Morey’s “inappropriate comments.’’
China Central TV said its sports channel said Tuesday it decided to suspend broadcast arrangements for the two games between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets and “immediately investigate all cooperation and exchanges with the NBA.’’
During its announcement CCTV cited Silver’s statement a day earlier defending Morey’s right to free expression. The move follows others that could damage the NBA’s business in its biggest overseas market– including a halt to sales of some Rockets’ merchandise in the country– which is worth an estimated $4 billion to the league.
In a regular news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shaung said, “These foreign teams should know the opinions of China’s citizens or it will not work. The NBA knows what it needs to say and do next.’’
Many in China have pointed out the NBA and Silver and Morey stopped short of apologizing. The backlash immediately put millions of dollars in revenue on the line for the NBA in China. The Chinese Basketball Association has already suspended ties with the Rockets.
Silver is due to arrive later this week in China to watch the Thursday and Saturday games, featuring global stars James and Kyrie Irving.
Silver said he understood there are consequences to the kind of comments Morey made and “we will have to live with those consequences.’’ He called CCTV’s decision not to air the games was unfortunate but added that “if that’s the consequence of us adhering to our values, we still feel it’s critically important to adhere to those values.’’
CCTV has broadcast NBA games for three decades. NBA games are also streamed online on Tencent Holdings Ltd. The company since the tweet said it would suspend broadcasts of Rockets games months after signing an additional five-year extension worth $1.5 billion.
