TOKYO – The NBA backs "freedom of expression," its commissioner has insisted, after the organization was criticized for its response to a pro-democracy tweet by a Houston Rockets executive that angered China. The tweet by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey backing anti-government protests in Hong Kong led to Chinese sponsors abandoning the team and the state-run TV network cutting their games. "There is no doubt, the economic impact is already clear," NBA Commission Adam Silver told Japan's Kyodo News agency late Monday. "There are the values that have been part of this league from its earliest days, and that includes free expression.". Silver, who heads to China this week with other top NBA brass, said the furor was evidence that "words truly do matter."

Source: Philippine Star October 08, 2019 01:41 UTC