Following Daryl Morey tweeting in support of pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, the NBA faced a challenging situation. The tension escalated when NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned that Chinese officials asked for Morey to be dismissed.
Silver brought up this claim during the Time 100 Health Summit in New York on Thursday. He expressed his disappointment, stating, “I believed we had made significant strides in fostering cultural exchanges with the Chinese population.”
Despite this, Silver clarified to the media that “there’s no way that’s happening. There’s no way we’ll even consider punishing him.”
The controversial tweet was removed shortly after being posted. Since then, the NBA has been vocal about its support for freedom of speech. Silver emphasized, “We are a U.S.-based business.”
Nevertheless, Chinese authorities refuted the allegation recently. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry insisted that “the Chinese government never made such a demand.”
Despite this denial, there has been a negative response from China, a key source of the NBA’s income.
“Our games are still not being broadcast in China,” Silver mentioned. “The financial losses have been significant.”
For further details on this issue, visit The NBA Treads On Hot Ground In Chinese Market After Hong Kong Comments.
