NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says league lost 'hundreds of millions of dollars' due to China fallout, touches on Brittney Griner situation

By Jack Bantock, CNN

Updated 1711 GMT (0111 HKT) June 3, 2022

NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media prior to Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals.

(CNN)NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted the league had lost «hundreds of millions of dollars» in revenue following a controversial fallout with China in October 2019.

A tweet in support of pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong by then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey sparked a diplomatic storm between the NBA and China. After the league had initially distanced themselves from Morey's tweet, expressing regret for offending «friends and fans in China,» Silver later came out in support of the coach in terms of his freedom of expression.Chinese state-run television network CCTV subsequently stopped airing NBA games in the country due to «strong dissatisfaction» over Silver's comments, before ending their blackout in March by broadcasting the Los Angeles Clippers' game against the Utah Jazz.Speaking at his customary press conference ahead of the NBA Finals on Thursday, Silver told reporters he believed «positive» steps had been made, regardless of the financial cost.Read MoreCeltics mount huge fourth-quarter comeback to stun the Warriors in Game 1 of NBA Finals«My position is… engagement is positive, particularly through sports,» Silver said.«To keep people safe and prosperous, using sports as a platform to keep people around the world talking is critically important. »At the same time, I don't think it's inconsistent with our values for our game to be broadcast in China and 200-plus other countries in the world. So that's where things stand.«Very specifically, I think it's a positive thing right now that we are exporting this Americana, NBA basketball and the