NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Continues to Defend Relationship with China: ‘We Can Play a Productive Role’ in Easing Tensions
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke to the media Tuesday, prior to the league’s championship series between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
During the press conference, Silver didn’t ignore the human rights issues that exist in China, but the commissioner also stated he expects the NBA to continue their mutual relationship.
“It’s hard to divorce what’s happening with the NBA from larger geopolitical issues between the U.S. and China,” Silver said according to NBA.com. “I do think it remains important, that particularly when tensions are high between governments, that we foster these sports, educational, cultural relationships.”
While the NBA has been outspoken in demanding social equality in the United States, the league profits off its relationship with China, a country with deplorable human rights issues. Tension between the NBA and China rose in 2019, when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support of protesters in Hong Kong. The Chinese government asked for Morey to be fired in retaliation and forced Chinese broadcaster Tencent to cease airing NBA games for a period of time.
Shortly before Morey’s tweet, the NBA reached a five-year $1.5 billion deal with Tencent, allowing the broadcast company to stream league games in China. While Silver claims the NBA’s relationship with China is helpful in defusing tensions, others believe the league maintains its deal for financial gain. Despite the Chinese government’s request, Morey was not fired, but the NBA did issue a statement calling his tweet “regrettable,” and not representative of the league. The Rockets GM stepped down last year, and joined the 76ers organization.
“I’ve said that from the very beginning. It certainly doesn’t mean that we are blessing everything that happens in China by any means,” Silver said Tuesday. “We are at root an American company, and so we follow US government policy.”
“We can play a productive role in helping the people of the United States and the people of China have a better understanding of each other, and see that we’re all human beings and that there is commonality between us,” the NBA commissioner added.
