Chinese state TV halts NBA preseason China game broadcasts

FILE – In this March 14, 2018, file photo, former NBA basketball player Yao Ming, center, a delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), leaves after a plenary session of the CPPCC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Yao is now president of the Chinese Basketball Association, which announced over the weekend it is suspending its ties with the Rockets in retaliation for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet that showed support for Hong Kong anti-government protesters. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

BEIJING — Chinese state broadcaster CCTV will no longer air NBA preseason games set in China after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted an image that supported anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong.

CCTV also said Tuesday in a statement posted to the official social media account of its sports channel that it is reviewing all its cooperation and exchanges involving the NBA.

The statement indicated the decision followed remarks made by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in Tokyo.

Silver said in an interview with Kyodo News that the NBA supports Morey.

Morey’s tweet has provoked a wave of censure from Chinese companies, including a major sports merchandise retailer and news site that have halted its partnerships with the Rockets.