NBA scrambles to lick China's boots after Rockets GM tweets support of HK protest

[BmorePat87]

(10-08-2019, 05:47 PM)fredtoast Wrote: David Silver looks goofy as hell, but I think he is the best commissioner of any professional sports league.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27797311/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-reacts-chinese-tv-cancels-game-broadcasts

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he's still planning to go to China on Wednesday in advance of preseason games there between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets later in the week, even after China's state broadcaster canceled plans to air the games.

Silver went so far as to say that he and the league are "apologetic" over the outcome and reaction that followed Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's tweet showing support for protesters in Hong Kong, but he noted that "we are not apologizing for Daryl exercising his freedom of expression."

"Daryl Morey, as general manager of the Houston Rockets, enjoys that right as one of our employees," Silver said. "What I also tried to suggest is that I understand there are consequences from his freedom of speech and we will have to live with those consequences."

"I'm sympathetic to our interests here and our partners that are upset," Silver said. "I don't think it's inconsistent on one hand to be sympathetic to them and at the same time stand by our principles."

Silver said the NBA did not expect CCTV to cancel plans to air the Lakers-Nets games.  "But if those are the consequences of us adhering to our values, I still feel it's very, very important to adhere to those values," Silver said.

Silver said the league "will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues."

"This is about far more than growing our business. ... Values of equality, respect and freedom of expression have long defined the NBA -- and will continue to do so," Silver said. "As an American-based basketball league operating globally, among our greatest contributions are these values of the game."

He did the right thing. The NBA seemed to err in their initial response, but I'm glad he came out and addressed this. The NBA listens to their players and they had to have known that there'd be backlash if they put profits over something like this.