James Harden issued an apology to China after general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support of protestors in Hong Kong, which drew the ire of the country.
Morey posted a now-deleted tweet that read: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong," which upset Chinese officials at a time where the NBA is trying to cultivate relations with the country.
"We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there," Harden said while standing next to teammate Russell Westbrook at a practice in Tokyo, via ESPN . "For both of us individually, we go there once or twice a year. They show us the most important love."
NBA teams have been making the rounds and playing exhibition games in Asia, including the Rockets, Lakers and Nets. The Rockets are gearing up to play two games in Japan, while the Lakers and Nets will face off Thursday in Shanghai and Saturday in Shenzhen, China.
"We appreciate them as a fan base," Harden said. "We love everything there about them, and we appreciate the support that they give us individually and as [an] organization."
Nets owner Joe Tsai, who is Chinese, posted on Facebook on Sunday that Morey crossed a line and called the frail relationship between Hong Kong and China "a third-rail issue."
"By now I hope you can begin to understand why the Daryl Morey tweet is so damaging to the relationship with our fans in China,'' Tsai wrote. "I don't know Daryl personally. I am sure he's a fine NBA general manager, and I will take at face value his subsequent apology that he was not as well informed as he should have been. But the hurt that this incident has caused will take a long time to repair.''
Many Chinese officials believe foreign parties, including Americans, of encouraging the protests in Hong Kong, which have been violent at times.
Morey tried to rectify the situation Sunday and said he didn't understand the situation as well as he should have.
1/ I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) October 7, 2019
2/ I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) October 7, 2019
"I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China," he tweeted, in part. "I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives."
Because of Chinese NBA player Yao Ming, many Chinese are huge Rockets fans. However, China's official basketball association, which is headed by Yao, said it would suspend cooperation with the Rockets.