Adam Silver: NBA, USA Basketball still may play in China in 2020

NBA and USA Basketball are still considering playing in China later this year, though complexities of both political rift caused by a tweet last fall and ongoing health concerns in world’s most populous country are making those plans seem decidedly uncertain.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said discussions in both cases — pre-Olympic games for USA Basketball and preseason games for NBA — are ongoing, and said decisions are t necessarily linked. It’s possible U.S. may play re this summer and NBA does t send teams this fall, Silver said.

“Those are issues that haven’t been decided yet,” Silver said Saturday night at his annual All-Star weekend news conference.

Things are t back to rmal for league when it comes to relations with China. strain started Oct. 4, when Houston general manr Daryl Morey tweeted an im that read “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong,” referencing several months of pro-democracy demonstrations in semiautomous Chinese territory.

tweet wasn’t up for long. fallout was massive and continues. A pair of preseason games between Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers in China were played days after Morey’s tweet, though without support of several sponsors and with both teams playing in silence — ne of customary pre- and post-game media availabilities were held. Chinese Basketball Association suspended its relationship with Rockets, Chinese media giant Tencent and Chinese state television pulled some NBA broadcasts and Silver said NBA quickly began experiencing significant financial losses.

Silver said it’s possible NBA could lose as much as $400 million in revenue this year because of hits to China market.

“Our games have t returned to CCTV, government broadcaster,” Silver said. “My sense is y will at some point in future. We are t pressing m. It’s a decision that is outside of certainly our control and I’m often t even sure where that decision lies.”

NBA and Chinese officials have been talking, or at least were talking until much of Chinese resources were redirected toward dealing with COVID-19, a disease stemming from a new form of coronavirus.

Basketball, understandably, has been pushed aside while Chinese deal with a massive crisis.

“This game of basketball is a huge game, and I've been blessed and fortunate eugh to travel to China a number of times,” All-Star Chris Paul of Oklahoma City Thunder, who also is president of National Basketball Players Association, said on Saturday. “A friend of mine, Pooh Jeter, plays over in China, and I actually wrote ‘Wuhan’ on my shoes or night in a game in New Orleans. (But) this isn't just a Wuhan problem. It's an everyone problem.”

Wuhan is city at center of outbreak. China’s government suspended most access to Wuhan on Jan. 23. Restrictions have expanded to cities with a total of 60 million people in broadest anti-disease measures ever imposed. Restaurants, shops and or businesses nationwide were ordered to close.

Through Friday, China reported a total of 66,492 cases of virus, officially saying it was responsible for 1,523 deaths. Japan -- which will play host to this summer’s Tokyo Olympics -- reported about 259 cases through Friday, with one death.

International competitions in at least 14 different sports have been affected by virus and resultant concerns. Tokyo Olympic organizers and International Olympic Committee have insisted that re are plans to cancel or relocate games.

“It’s impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take,” said Tedros Adham Ghebreyesus, director-general of World Health Organization.

It also makes it impossible to predict when matters between NBA and China return to rmal.

In or matters Silver addressed Saturday:

KOBE AWARD

NBA is immediately renaming All-Star MVP trophy in hor of Kobe Bryant, 18-time All-Star who — along with his daughter Gianna and seven ors — died in a helicopter crash in Sourn California last month.

All-Star weekend has taken on a somber tone this year, largely because of multiple tributes for Bryant and NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern, who died Jan. 1.

“I kw it will be especially meaningful to that player that wins first Kobe Bryant MVP,” Silver said. “So I'm sure re will be or hors as well, and as I mentioned, re are or things that we will be discussing with our board, NBA board, when y meet in April to hor David. But this one seems so appropriate here at All-Star because body embodied All-Star more than Kobe Bryant.”

SCHEDULE CHANGES

Silver said he remains optimistic that schedule changes he has wanted — including an in-season tournament — are viable possibilities.

NBA was targeting adding such a tournament in 2021-22, league’s 75th anniversary year. But plans for an April vote on such a change were tabled weeks ago, and timetable is uncertain.

“I may have been a little naive in thinking that for 75th anniversary, we could say let's make all se changes,” Silver said. “We'll sort of see what happens in 75th anniversary, and we'll go from re.”

All-Stars polled by Associated Press earlier Saturday about potential of schedule changes were largely supportive of tion, though majority also said y do t kw eugh about plans to have a strong opinion.

“I don’t kw. I mean our season is already long,” said Portland guard Damian Lillard, who is missing All-Star Game with an injury. “I think if we’re playing for something that would count, I can see it being OK, but re’s a price for everything.”

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