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Houston Rockets’ James Harden wants nothing to do with NBA’s controversy with China now

  • Rockets star wants nothing to do with the spat between the Chinese government and the NBA which started last week with a tweet from his general manager
  • The NBA just wrapped up two pre-season games in China featuring the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers

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James Harden appears more than ready to move on from the NBA’s crisis with China. Photo: AFP
Patrick Blennerhassett
One of the NBA’s most bankable superstars is more than ready to move on from the NBA’s controversy with China that hit a fever pitch last week when two teams visited the country on a preseason tour.
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“I’m staying out of it,” said Houston Rockets guard James Harden when asked by a reporter in Houston on Sunday after a practice session. “I’m focusing on what we have and trying to get better. We’re a week and a half away from the regular season.”

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey set off an international crisis between the NBA and the Chinese government more than a week ago when he tweeted support for the Hong Kong protesters. Morey quickly deleted the tweet, the NBA said in a statement it felt Morey’s tweet was “regrettable”, and Morey issued an apology.

However, the incident flared up again last week while the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers were in Shanghai for the first of two preseason games when NBA commissioner Adam Silver backed Morey’s right to freedom of expression and then issued a second statement doubling down on the league’s employees’ rights to free speech.

The Chinese government in turn ended up axing multiple events scheduled to take place in Shanghai last week, including two NBA Cares events, while the two teams’ open practice sessions were cut off to the public and media.

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