Silver wasn’t about to acquiesce to a foreign government.
Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey found himself in some hot water last week when he tweeted his support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The Chine government had a bit conniption over the whole thing and have completely ended their relationship with the Rockets. Since then, the league has been in talks with the Chinese government as they try to salvage their partnership. Commissioner Adam Silver has admitted that the financial ramifications could be huge, although he isn’t about to bend over backward for the nation.
In a recent interview during the TIME 100 Health Summit, Silver spoke about the China situation and even admitted how the country wanted to see Morey fired. As Silver explained, firing Morey was something that was never on the table.
“We were being asked to fire him, by the Chinese government, by the parties we dealt with in government and business,” Silver explained. “We said there’s no chance that’s happening. There’s no chance we’ll even discipline him.”
Silver went on to talk about the subject freedom speech and expression and how the league will always be a beacon that. While the China debacle has proved costly, Silver is making sure the integrity the league is still intact.