Chinese State Media Says Adam Silver Will Face Retribution After Hong Kong Controversy

In the days leading up to what should be one of the more exciting NBA seasons in recent memory, the news cycle has been completely swept up in the NBA-China controversy that started with a Daryl Morey tweet and continues to rage as players and NBA representatives alike avoid commenting on the situation.

The most recent piece of news that has come out in regards to the controversy was that Adam Silver refused to fire or discipline Daryl Morey, despite the urging of China. Now, the Chinese state media has said Silver will face "retribution" for "defaming" China throughout the controversy. From the South China Morning Post:

"Chinese state media has warned that NBA commissioner Adam Silver will face “retribution” for defaming China in the latest twist to a dispute that began with a basketball team executive tweeting his support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. In a commentary on Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV said Silver had “crossed the bottom line” by continuing to defend Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, who posted an image on Twitter on October 4 saying “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong”."

"“Silver has spared no effort to portray himself as a fighter for free speech and used freedom of speech as an excuse to cover for Morey, who voiced his support for the violent actors in Hong Kong,” it said. “This has crossed the bottom line of the Chinese people. Silver’s handling of the controversy had proved his “double standards”, the broadcaster said, adding that he had “defamed” China on the international stage."

This comes only a day after Chinese foreign minister Geng Shuan released a statement denying Silver's allegations that the government asked Silver to fire Morey.

We can only wait and see what kind of retributions they're referring to.