Houston Rockets under fire after CNN reporter’s question shut down

CNN reporter Christina Macfarlane asked a simple question of two NBA stars. Before they could answer, she was instantly shut down.

CNN reporter shut down over China question.

The latest chapter in the ongoing rift between the NBA and China occurred overnight when a CNN reporter was shut down when asking a legitimate question.

After the Houston Rockets defeated the Toronto Raptors 118-111 in their second preseason game in Tokyo, the players attended the usual post-game press conferences.

Superstar guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook sat at the podium when CNN reporter Christina Macfarlane was handed the microphone.

“The NBA has always been a league that prides itself on its players and its coaches being able to speak out openly about political and societal affairs,” she said.

“I just wonder after the events of this week and the fallout we’ve seen whether you’d both feel differently about speaking out that way in the future.”

But before the question could even be answered by the players, a Rockets media officer quickly put a pin in it.

“Excuse me, we’re taking basketball questions only,” the team representative said.

When the journalist countered that the question was “legitimate,” the press official argued, “It’s been answered. We’re taking basketball questions only.”

The handling of the situation was quickly condemned by not only basketball fans, but reporters across America.

Wow, this is chilling. The NBA minder shuts down CNN's question here and refuses to let the players answer it. Not only are they acting as China's censors for their employees, they're now bringing China's suppression of the critical press to our shores. https://t.co/2cYISBpIwU

— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) October 10, 2019

This is loathsome and cowardly. Does the NBA really think it can sustain radio silence on this? https://t.co/9FXbKZZpyc

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) October 10, 2019

This is just an awful look for the @NBA https://t.co/nI0MQqZAmL

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 10, 2019

The silence of Harden and Westbrook in response to this important question is deafening -- and reflects very poorly on the NBA. https://t.co/QqT24Pqc64

— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) October 10, 2019

Two great American athletes sitting with their heads down like shamed schoolboys while a western journalist has her microphone taken away. This is only going to get worse. https://t.co/N2S2VGTDCC

— Scary Whitta (@garywhitta) October 10, 2019

COWARDS. Wow. https://t.co/ZIe0tmkSNj

— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) October 10, 2019

pathetic https://t.co/mJXkaLWfnc

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 10, 2019

Shortly afterwards the NBA responded and offered up an apology to Macfarlane while labelling the Rockets’ handling as “inappropriate”.

“During today’s Houston Rockets media availability, a team representative inappropriately interjected to prevent CNN’s Christina Macfarlane from receiving an answer to her question,” the league said in a statement.

“We’ve apologised to Ms. Macfarlane as this was inconsistent with how the NBA conducts media events.”

Adam Silver addressed the ongoing situation earlier in the week.

The rift between the NBA and China began last weekend when Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted an image with the caption “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong”.

He has since deleted and clarified the tweet, but by then it was too late with China angered over the message.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been strong in his stance the league will stick true to its values as it attempts to work out the issue with arguably its biggest market.

“I understand that there are consequences from that exercise of, in essence, (Morey’s) freedom of speech,” Silver said at a news conference in Tokyo earlier this week. “We will have to live with those consequences.”

Most events in advance of the game, such as NBA Cares events to benefit educational causes and the Special Olympics, were called off, as was a “fan night” where the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets players were to interact directly with some Chinese ticketholders.

Signage in Shanghai to promote the game was ripped down, and mentions of the game were scrubbed from the arena website.

A fan drapes a China flag over an NBA banner.

All that comes as many Chinese corporations suspended their business ties to the NBA. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV did not show Thursday’s Lakers-Nets game and does not plan to show their next matchup at Shenzhen on Saturday.

NBA broadcast partner Tencent has said it is changing its coverage plans for the league as well, and cancelled credential requests in some U.S. arenas for preseason games this week.

Plus, the NBA apparently has to mend a fence with Rockets great Yao Ming, a Basketball Hall of Famer and now the president of the Chinese Basketball Association. The CBA has also suspended its ties with Houston as part of the Morey tweet fallout.

The Rockets were extremely popular in China, largely because of Yao. But the team’s merchandise has not been for sale in China for several days, and some murals featuring the team’s stars and logo have been painted over.

— with AP