A lot of pressure has been put on the NBA after Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey expressed his support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors. The Chinese Basketball Association announced the decision to end its cooperation with the Rockets following the comments, prompting him the backtrack and James Harden to issue an apology. Ever since, prominent figures in the NBA have been continually asked for their thoughts on the situation.
As a result of the barrage of questions related to Hong Kong, the NBA has made the decision to cut media access for the rest of the league's China trip. As CNN reports, the league is still hoping to mend its relationship with China. The Friday statement comes less than a day after a CNN anchor was shut down by a Rockets media officer from asking James Harden and Russell Westbrook a question about the situation in Tokyo, Japan.
"They [the teams] have been placed into a complicated and unprecedented situation while abroad and we believe it would be unfair to ask them to address these matters in real time," the statement from the NBA reads. It is unclear how long the ban will last, and if it will impact any journalists from asking about Hong Kong when players and other league figures are back in the States.
Recently, Steve Kerr was mocked by Donald Trump after he awkwardly dodged a question about the situation. "I mean I watch this guy Steve Kerr and he was like a little boy he was so scared to be even answering the question," the President said. The political unrest in Hong Kong shows no signs of slowing down.
