ＮＢＡトップ、中国とのビジネスで代償払っても「表現の自由支持」

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米プロバスケットボール協会（NBA）のアダム・シルバーコミッショナー（57）は、中国とのビジネス関係がNBAにもたらした富を失うという代償を払ってでも、表現の自由という価値を守る決意のようだ。（写真は埼玉県でNBAジャパンゲームスに向けた記者会見に臨む米プロバスケットボール協会のアダム・シルバーコミッショナー）
　ワシントン・ブレッツがＮＢＡのチームとして初めて中国を訪れ、北京と上海でエキシビションマッチを行ってから４０年、１４億の人口を抱える中国とＮＢＡのビジネス関係は最大の危機に直面している。
　発端は、今月４日にヒューストン・ロケッツのダリル・モリーゼネラルマネジャー（ＧＭ）がツイッターに投稿した「自由のために戦おう。香港と共に立ち上がろう」というツイート。
　ヒューストン・ロケッツは元ＮＢＡスター選手で中国出身の姚明（ヤオ・ミン）氏が所属していたチームでもあるが、モリー氏のツイートを受け、複数の中国企業がロケッツのスポンサーを降板。中国のテレビ局は中国国内で開催されるＮＢＡのプレシーズン戦の放送の中止を決めた。
　ＮＢＡはひとまずモリー氏のツイートに関する声明を出したが、これには米国内からあまりに屈服的だとの批判が噴出。シルバー氏は、ロケッツのプレシーズン戦が行われている日本で記者会見を開くことになった。
　シルバー氏は会見で、「表現の自由を支持すること、とりわけＮＢＡコミュニティーに属するメンバーたちの表現の自由を支持することは、ＮＢＡが持つ長年の価値観だ」と強調。
　また、「言論の自由の行使は本質的に、何らかの結果を引き起こすことは理解している。われわれは皆、そうした結果を受け入れなければならない」と述べた。
　シルバー氏は数日中に上海で中国の当局者らと面会する予定で、これについて「両国の政治制度や信条について互いの尊重を見いだせるかどうかみてみたい。ただ、私は現実主義者でもあり、こうした問題はすぐに収束しない可能性もあることは理解している」と述べた。
　中国の国営英字紙チャイナ・デーリーは９日、シルバー氏の発言について「ＮＢＡが香港への米国による介入の新たな道具になろうとしていることを示している」と批判。中国共産党機関紙・人民日報も米アップルが香港の警察官らの位置を特定できるアプリをダウンロードできるようにしたと非難したほか、上海ではＮＢＡファン向けのイベントが中止となった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/10/10-09:47）

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is ready to accept the consequences for defending freedom of speech, even if supporting those values means losing the riches that Chinese business partnerships have brought the league.
Forty years after the Washington Bullets played exhibition games in Beijing and Shanghai as the first NBA club to visit China, the league and its lucrative relationship with the nation of 1.4 billion people faces its toughest test.
It's only the latest battle over values championed by Silver, the 57-year-old American who replaced David Stern as the NBA's boss in February 2014. He has banned an owner for life for racist remarks and moved an NBA All-Star Game over a law discriminating against the gay and transgender communities.
A socially conscious league whose biggest star players have criticized US President Donald Trump and shunned ceremonial White House visits -- LeBron James famously calling Trump a bum in a 2017 tweet -- was thrust into controversy again Friday when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted: Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has been rocked by protests since June that were ignited by a now-scrapped plan to allow extraditions of criminal suspects to the mainland but snowballed into a movement calling for more democratic freedoms and police accountability.
Morey's tweet shattered some China sponsorships for the Rockets, retired Chinese star Yao Ming's former club. Chinese television dropped planned telecasts of NBA pre-season games in China.
Early NBA statements on the issue drew fire from US critics as overly capitulating, setting the stage for Silver to settle matters in Tokyo.
The long-held values of the NBA are to support freedom of expression, and certainly freedom of expression by members of the NBA community, Silver said.
I understand there are consequences from that exercise of, in essence, his freedom of speech. We will have to live with those consequences.
It's my hope that for our Chinese fans and our partners in China, they will see those remarks in the context of now a three-decade, if not longer, relationship.
- NBA won't compromise values -
The same week that American television show South Park parodied US companies who cave in to Chinese censorship for commercial gain, the NBA was challenged to put its values over its bottom line and stand up to financial backers.
As a league, we're not willing to compromise those values, Silver said. I'm sympathetic to our interests here and to our partners who are upset. I don't think it's inconsistent on one hand to be sympathetic to them and at the same time stand by our principles.
Silver stressed he regrets Chinese NBA fans are upset but would not apologize for Morey's tweet.
I don't come here, either as the commissioner of the NBA or as an American, to tell others how they should run their governments, Silver said. There are values that are deeply rooted in the DNA of the NBA and that includes freedom of expression for our employees.
We're not apologizing for Daryl exercising his freedom of expression.
As for having NBA telecasts pulled from Chinese television, Silver said, It's unfortunate, but if that's the consequences of us adhering to our values, we still feel it's critically important we adhere to those values.
Silver plans to meet with Chinese officials in Shanghai in the next few days and see if we can find mutual respect for each other's political systems and beliefs. But I'm a realist as well, and I recognize that this issue may not die down so quickly.
I think one of the things that comes with freedom of expression often is very difficult conversations.
It's our hope... we can work with our long-time partners and find an accommodation, recognizing we have true differences.
- 'Long time to repair' -
When a video of racist remarks by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling went public less than three months into his tenure, Silver banned him from the NBA for life four days later and forced him to sell the club.
Silver also moved the 2017 NBA All-Star Game from Charlotte to New Orleans after state lawmakers revoked protections prohibiting discrimination against gay and transgender people.
We feel this law is inconsistent with the core values of this league, Silver said in 2016. Our values in terms of equality and inclusion are paramount.
Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai, a Chinese businessman who became owner of the NBA Brooklyn Nets last month, posted a statement on Facebook to explain China's perspective to US fans.
The problem is, there are certain topics that are third-rail issues in certain countries, Tsai wrote. Supporting a separatist movement in a Chinese territory is one of those.
The hurt this incident has caused will take a long time to repair... I ask that our Chinese fans keep the faith in what the NBA and basketball can do to unite people from all over the world.