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On Sunday, China's consulate general in Houston urged the Rockets to \"clarify and immediately correct the mistakes\" made by Morey.

Morey's tweet prompted an angry response from several Chinese companies that sponsor the Rockets, including sporting goods manufacturer Li-Ning and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, which both announced they are suspending their relationships with the Rockets.

CCTV and internet giant Tencent -- who inked a five-year, $1.5 billion deal in August to stream NBA games in China -- both said they will not show Rockets games.

Former Rockets' star Yao Ming, the catalyst behind the team's enormous popularity in China and the current president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), announced the CBA would be suspending its relationship with the Rockets.

\"For those who question our motivation, this is about far more than growing our business,\" Silver said in his statement Tuesday.

\"PHOTO:
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Turner Sports, FILE
PHOTO: General Manager of the Houston Rockets Daryl Morey attends the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on TNT at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019, in Santa Monica, Calif.
>

American basketball has a long history in China, dating back to the 1800s when the game was introduced to the country through the YMCA. The NBA is the No. 1 sports league in China and big business for the league with at least 25 marketing partnerships and 200 NBA stores.

The Nets majority owner, Joe Tsai, the co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, posted an open letter to NBA fans on Facebook on Sunday expressing his views on the controversy. Tsai wrote that Morey should have understood he was broaching a \"third-rail issue\" in China with his tweet, but conceded that the NBA executive has a right to \"freely express\" his opinion.

\"The one thing that is terribly misunderstood, and often ignored, by the western press and those critical of China is that 1.4 billion Chinese citizens stand united when it comes to the territorial integrity of China and the country’s sovereignty over her homeland. This issue is non-negotiable,\" Tsai wrote.

During his news conference, Silver expressed support for Tsai's \"right to respond\" to Morey's \"right to freedom of expression.\"

\"I can tell you, at least speaking for the United States, I think there's far more understanding of the complexity of the issues in Hong Kong than there was heretofore,\" Silver said. \"Sports often serves that purpose that takes people who might not otherwise pay attention to issues in society and ... shines a light on them.\"

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