The NBA is apparently tired of having to answer questions about the league’s issues with China, although this time it went too far. (TVNewser)
At a presser after the Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets game in Japan, a reporter with CNN was stopped on Thursday as she tried to ask James Harden and Russell Westbrook about the ongoing controversy. (THR)
CNN’s Christina Macfarlane asked the players whether they “feel differently” about speaking out on political issues in light of the tension between the NBA and China. “Excuse me, we’re taking basketball questions only,” a staff member said, as seen in a video posted by Rockets’ reporter Alykhan Bijani. (HuffPost)
The league later apologized and said the reporter should have been allowed to ask her question. The controversy began last week when the Houston Rockets’ general manager tweeted his support of protesters in Hong Kong. (WaPo)