NBA commissioner Adam Silver says league lost 'hundreds of millions' of dollars after fallout with China

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters this week that China's response to former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressing his support for anti-government Hong Kong protesters in 2019 cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars.

Morey, who is now general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, tweeted in October 2019 an image that read, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." Morey would later delete the tweet and explain that he did not intend to offend Rockets fans or his friends in China. Demonstrators were protesting against China's control of Hong Kong at the time.

China first pulled games from CCTV shortly after Morey's comments, but the NBA returned to Chinese televisions in March. Silver said the NBA lost "hundreds of millions" of dollars because of the 18-month blackout, but he also highlighted the league's commitment to free speech for players, coaches and executives.

"Others since then have spoken out about their views around China and other places in the world, and if the consequences are that we’re taken off the air or we lose money, we accept that," Silver told reporters at a news conference Thursday, according to Reuters. 

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NBA Commisioner Adam Silver is pictured as he takes questions from reporters during a pre game press conference. The Boston Celtics visited the Golden State Warriors for Game One of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA on June 2, 2022.  (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The NBA initially said Morey's remarks were "regrettable" and that he had "deeply