NBA star James Harden claims that his team, the Houston Rockets, is not distracted by the issues surrounding the NBA and its relationship with China.
The controversy surrounding Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's tweet supporting the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong threatens the team's popularity in China. Harden assured that the Rockets is focused on the upcoming NBA season and would not be distracted by the issues with China.
In a press conference following the team's preseason game loss to the Toronto Raptors in Tokyo, Japan, Harden said: "It's not a distraction, we are focusing on our team and getting better. We have a great opportunity ahead of us and, honestly, we are focused on every single day."
However, Harden considered the team's Chinese fan base and initially apologized for the controversy, saying: "We apologize, we love China, we love playing here. We go there once or twice a year, they show us the most support and love so we appreciate them as a fan base. We love everything they are about. We appreciate the support they give us individually and as an organization."
Hong Kong, a former British colony that is now under the control of China, has been battling political unrest for months and Morey's tweet, which has been deleted, triggered angry reactions from China. Several Chinese companies have ended their relationship with the Rockets as a result of Morey's statement.
In response to the uproar, the NBA issued a statement apologizing for offending "friends and fans in China," which in turn garnered further criticism that the league was comprising its principles due to financial interests.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver then released a statement clarifying the league's position on the issue. It stated: "The NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say. We simply could not operate that way."
For years, the NBA made millions of investments in developing the basketball in China where currently, 300 million people play the sport.
