Silver: China asked for Morey to be fired

The financial fallout from the NBA’S ongoing conflict with the Chinese government has “already been substantial,” Adam Silver, the league’s commissioner, said Thursday in his first public appearance in the United States since returning from a contentious trip abroad for exhibition games in Asia.

“Our games are not back on the air in China as we speak, and we’ll see what happens next,” Silver said, speaking at the Time 100 Health Summit during an interview with the network anchor Robin Roberts to promote the league’s mental health initiatives.

Silver said the Chinese government asked for Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, to be fired. Morey set off the international firestorm with a tweet using a slogan used by the protesters in Hong Kong, just as the league was preparing to stage games in Shanghai and Shenzhen between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.

“We said there’s no chance that’s happening,” Silver said. “There’s no chance we’ll even discipline him.”

Elsewhere: Hornets owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan shed a tear as he helped celebrate the opening of a medical clinic in Charlotte that his $7 million donation made possible. The Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic opened just over three weeks ago, and its family doctors, social workers, behavioral health specialists and other staff have already cared for more than 300 people. … Bradley Beal signed a twoyear extension worth nearly $72 million with Washington, a major victory for the Wizards and a move that will keep the Allstar guard out of free agency for at least the next three summers. … The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their contract option on forward Kyle Kuzma for the 202021 season.