NBA commissioner Adam Silver issued his first statements since Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for the Hong Kong protesters, which led to significant backlash in China.
On Friday, Morey posted an image that said, “Fight for Freedom. Stand for Hong Kong,” amid increasing tension between Hong Kong and Beijing, which controls the territory. Morey later deleted and apologized for the social media post. The NBA distanced themselves from the front office official’s comments and apologized.
Silver addressed the backlash on Monday while speaking in Tokyo ahead of a preseason game between the Rockets and Toronto Raptors in Saitama.
“There is no doubt, the economic impact is already clear,” Silver stated, according to Kyoto News. “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.”
He went on, “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.”
The league has faced swift condemnation from politicians across the political spectrum, and a number of others have defended Morey and the Hong Kong protesters.
[Opinion: Stand for freedom, boycott the NBA]
