“I have tried to help the people of the world to make it a little better,” wrote James Naismith, basketball’s inventor, in 1918, reflecting on a life of Christian education and athletics. He would have choice words for today’s National Basketball Association, which recently caved to foreign pressure and condemned Americans speaking in favor of democracy abroad.

The league confirmed Thursday that the Chinese government had sought the dismissal of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. His crime? Tweeting. “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” Morey had tweeted earlier this month.