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.