China TV Drops NBA Exhibition Games; NBA Commissioner Defends Free Speech

China TV Drops NBA Exhibition Games; NBA Commissioner Defends Free Speech
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attends a news conference in Beijing, China on Dec. 10, 2016. Thomas Peter/Reuters
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BEIJING/TOKYO—Chinese state television said on Oct. 8 it would not air NBA exhibition games played in the country this week, heaping pressure on the U.S. basketball league after a tweet by a Houston Rockets executive backing protests in Hong Kong.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey apologized on Monday for any hurt caused by the tweet, which he quickly deleted over the weekend.