NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants to have a “mutual respect” with the Chinese government.
The NBA and China had a gigantic falling out when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey had the audacity to express support for the freedom of people in Hong Kong. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
The Chinese government wanted Morey fired and many people, including LeBron James, seemingly sided with the Communist dictatorship over freedom-loving Americans.
Lakers’ LeBron James on NBA’s China controversy: “I don’t want to get into a … feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.” pic.twitter.com/KKrMNU0dKR
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 15, 2019
Now, Silver wants the Chinese to respect the league while understanding things are a bit “different.”
Silver said the following when asked by Sean Gregory if the NBA’s relationship with China has improved at all, according to Sopan Deb:
You know, as I’ve said before, you know, we come to China with a certain set of core American values and principles. And I understand also they have a different form of government. And they have a different view of how things have been done, how things should be done. And hopefully, we can find mutual respect for each other.
Adam Silver on the NBA’s relationship with China – says he feels it has improved. “…they have a different view how things have been done, how things should be done. And hopefully, we can find mutual respect for each other.” pic.twitter.com/Dc9RFaboqN
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) June 30, 2020
What a pathetic answer from Adam Silver. I understand that there’s billions of dollars on the line when it comes to the NBA and China, but you just have to eventually draw a line in the sand.
At some point, you just have to be willing to call a spade a spade. The Chinese government is a brutal dictatorship that has committed a laundry list of horrific actions, including forced abortions for Uighur Muslim, who are also locked up across the country.
Shaq on Daryl Morey/China “One of our best values here in America is free speech we’re allowed to say what we want to say and we are allowed to speak out on injustices and that’s just how it goes. and if people don’t understand that that’s something they have to deal with. pic.twitter.com/vefcHSPlMD
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) October 22, 2019
It’s sad how bad the NBA bows to China. They’re an American sports league that has made billions of dollars because of the USA, and yet, they bend the knee to the dictatorship in China.
It makes me want to puke. Maybe somebody should ask Silver if Tiananmen Square rings a bell.
Let’s also never forget when Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked about the human rights record in China and tried to compare it to shootings with AR-15s.
Steve Kerr on if he’s ever been asked about human rights during his previous trips to China:
“No. Nor has (America’s) record of human rights abuses come up either… People in China didn’t ask me about, you know, people owning AR-15s and mowing each other down in a mall.” pic.twitter.com/56mNC7LmID
— Sam Hustis (@SamHustis) October 11, 2019
The NBA should be ashamed of itself. We don’t need a mutual respect for China. We need to respect, support and promote freedom at all times.