NBA stars seek to stay on China’s good side

Houston Rockets' James Harden celebrates his three-point basket during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Saitama, near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Houston Rockets’ James Harden celebrates his three-point basket during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Saitama, near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver arrives for a news conference before an NBA preseason basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Saitama, near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver arrives for a news conference before an NBA preseason basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Saitama, near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Houston Rockets' James Harden, left, talks to Russell Westbrook during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Saitama, near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Houston Rockets’ James Harden, left, talks to Russell Westbrook during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Saitama, near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
INTERNATIONAL – As the dispute between the NBA and China escalated, one of the first on-court stars to speak publicly was 2018 most-valuable player James Harden.
“We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there,” Harden said from a Houston Rockets practice in Tokyo. Standing next to All-Star teammate Russell Westbrook, he added, “For both of us individually, we go there once or twice a year. They show us the most important love.”
It’s no coincidence that Harden would be among the first players to offer an olive branch. It was Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey who started the controversy with a since-deleted tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong, and the Rockets were already in Asia as part of the NBA’s international preseason series.

Source: iol.co.za