The rift between the NBA and China appeared to widen again Friday, as the fallout over Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's tweet in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong continued.
ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: As outcry in China grows, Rockets GM Daryl Morey's job appears safe
A day after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Chinese officials wanted Morey fired, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry told reporters that no such demand was made by the government there. That becomes the latest chapter in the now 2-week-old saga over Morey's tweet that was quickly deleted but has led to considerable damage to the long relationship between the NBA and China.