Rockets GM Daryl Morey Apologizes and NBA Makes Statement After Hong Kong Tweet Causes Trouble

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey shockingly created an international incident this weekend by sending out a tweet showing support of the pro-democracy efforts in China. Swifty, the missive created a strained relationship between the Rockets organization and the Chinese Basketball Association, leading to a significant hit to Houston's reputation amongst Chinese basketball fans.

On Sunday, Morey sent out an apology in a tweet thread, saying that he was expressing his opinion without fully exploring both sides of the complicated Hong Kong protests.

In other words, he was significantly muted by ownership and league interests. Yes, as hard as it is to believe, Morey's job may even have been in danger this weekend.

Minutes after Morey's tweet, the NBA released their official statement regarding the ongoing controversy, in which they revealed they wouldn't reprimand the Rockets general manager.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Rockets will not discipline Morey for his tweet, either. Prior to this update, John Gonzalez of The Ringer reported that the Rockets were considering removing Morey as the team's general manager. That's now obviously not going to occur.

Morey's now-deleted tweet angered the Chinese Basketball Association and other organizations, as many fans across the nation threatened to sever ties with the Rockets completely. It's truly telling that this struck a chord, as the CBA had a long relationship with the Rockets due to the tenure of Hall of Famer Yao Ming in Houston (who also disavowed Morey's sentiment).

Despite the controversy following the tweet, Daryl Morey's job is safe.