Did Daryl Morey Quit the Rockets Because of NBA's China Stance?

Daryl Morey is stepping down from his role as Houston Rockets general manager, ESPN reports.

Buried in the middle of Adrian Wojnarowski's report is a brief mention of Morey's famous tweet that supported freedom in Hong Kong:

"Nevertheless, his final season on the job became engulfed in scrutiny after a tweet supporting freedom in Hong Kong led to China pulling the NBA off its airwaves and suspending sponsorship agreements with the league."

While Morey may indeed want to explore what else "might interest him professionally," his role in exposing the NBA's protection and relationship with China still likely factored into the decision.

Morey's tweet exposed the NBA and the truth behind its five-year social justice campaign. In response to Morey's admirable tweet, Woke leader LeBron James effectively told Morey to shut up:

“We all talk about this freedom of speech, yes we all do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you’re not thinking about others. When you only think about yourself.”

In other words: don't be selfish, LeBron's money comes before human rights.

The NBA's actions continued to open the eyes of many Americans— and not just about its relationship with China. NBA players showed little concern about anti-Semitic remarks or the shooting of police officers.

In case viewers needed any more proof about where NBA loyalties lie, Mark Cuban assured the country last week that those associated with the NBA are not allowed to speak up on horrific events if doing so affects the league's relationship with Nike.

Cuban, who has far more power than Morey ever had, wouldn't condemn China in an interview with Megyn Kelly. Cuban sounded fearful, as though he knew he was on shaky ground. Finally, after minutes of dodging, he announced he wasn't going to denounce the lucrative communist customer.

" is a customer of ours,” Cuban explained. “And I’m OK with doing business with China.”

Well, there you go. Cuban has gotten the message and towed the Chinese line. Morey had not.

Just last week, mere days before Morey's announcement, the NBA resumed business with the Chinese propaganda channel, CCTV. The state-run network had refused to air NBA games since Morey tweeted support for human rights in Hong Kong. The timing looks awfully suspicious.

Morey is better off elsewhere with an employer that doesn't bow to the demands of Communist China.

The NBA is no longer for everyone. It's for a select group that shares its extreme position on politics, race, China, and human rights. Evidently, viewers have gotten the message too. The 2020 NBA viewership numbers tanked like an airing of ESPN's High Noon.