NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Monday insisted that the league still supports Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey after comments in support of Hong Kong that have drawn intense backlash from China.
“I think as a values-based organization that I want to make it clear … that Daryl Morey is supported in terms of his ability to exercise his freedom of expression,” Silver told Kyodo News ahead of a preseason game between the Rockets and the Toronto Raptors in Japan.
{mosads}”There is no doubt, the economic impact is already clear,” he continued. “There have already been fairly dramatic consequences from that tweet, and I have read some of the media suggesting that we are not supporting Daryl Morey, but in fact we have.”
Morey in a since-deleted tweet on Friday voiced support for the thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets of Hong Kong in the last few months, writing: “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
Initially a response to a proposed bill allowing criminal suspects to be extradited to China, the protests have evolved into a pro-democracy movement in the semi-autonomous city.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta quickly issued a statement Friday saying that Morey did not speak for the franchise, but the message had already been circulated widely.
On Sunday, the Chinese Basketball Association and several TV providers suspended ties with the Rockets.
The NBA issued a statement on Sunday recognizing that Morey’s comments “have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable.”
“While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together,” it said.
The league’s statement immediately drew bipartisan backlash from lawmakers who have accused it of putting profit over human rights and free expression of its employees.