China wants Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey canned — at least, that’s true according to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. By Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang’s recollection, though, the “Chinese government never posed this requirement.”
While the NBA and China quibble over whether anyone made an outright request that Morey be fired, the details make little difference. The important thing is that the Chinese government would like Morey sacked over his pro-Hong Kong tweet, which started a firestorm this month and has mainly served to turn the American public against China.
“We were being asked for fire him, by the Chinese government, by the parties we dealt with, government and business,” Silver said. “We said, ‘There’s no chance that’s happening.'”
Whether or not any Chinese officials directly called for Morey’s firing, it’s clear that they’d like Americans to shut up about Hong Kong. Many are happy to appease them. The minor incident has been incredibly illuminating about the NBA. When it comes to maintaining that Chinese money, so many American capitalists become like Silver, demurring, “Maybe I was trying too hard to be a diplomat.”
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, despite speaking out on other social justice issues, said he didn’t “know enough about Chinese history” to weigh in, ignoring that its human rights abuses are no thing of the past.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers complained about the negative (read: financial) ramifications of Morey’s free speech.
ESPN, fearing backlash, told staff not to discuss the situation between China and Hong Kong, where hundreds of thousands of protesters have been demonstrating against China’s autocratic rule for months.
In the final assessment: Of course, China wants Morey fired! He had the guts to say what few of his contemporaries have said in the aftermath of his viral tweet. The government of China oppresses Hong Kong. It oppresses the Chinese people. It’s trying, in ways indirect, to oppress the rest of us.
Luckily, at least we have freedom of speech in our country, and for people like Morey who choose to embrace it, China can’t take that away.
