Chinese state television said today it would not air National Basketball Association exhibition games played in the country this week, heaping pressure on the US basketball league after a tweet by a Houston Rockets executive backing protests in Hong Kong.
"We strongly oppose the support for Morey on the basis of freedom of speech and we think any comments that challenge a country's sovereignty and social stability is not within the scope of freedom of speech,"said today in a statement in Chinese, adding that it would review its relationship with the NBA.But commissioner Adam Silver said it was not up to the NBA to regulate what players, employees and team owners said.
"I suggest they pay attention to the reaction of the ordinary Chinese people," Geng told a regular briefing. The decision heaps pressure on the league, which faces criticism on multiple fronts about its handling of the controversy. Its apology on Sunday disappointed some who see the league as the most progressive of the US sports organisations, while Silver's support for Morey's right to speak his mind has left the league vulnerable in China.
"There are the values that have been part of this league from its earliest days, and that includes free expression," said Silver, who was in Japan for a pre-season game between the Rockets and the Toronto Raptors.
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