An NBA-China diplomatic storm erupted after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
The league initially distanced itself from Morey's tweet, apologizing for offending his "friends and fans in China," but later came to Morey's defense on the basi
CCTV stopped broadcasting NBA games in the country following Silver's comments, but ended their blackout in March by airing the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz game.
Silver told reporters at his normal press conference that "positive" steps had been taken, despite the financial cost.
"I believe engagement through sports is positive," Silver said. "To maintain peace and prosperity, sports should be used as a vehicle to keep people speaking.
The game is broadcast in 200 countries around the world, and I believe that is consistent with our values. So, that's where things stand.
As a matter of fact, I think it's a good thing right now that we are exporting this Americana, NBA basketball,
Enes Kanter Freedom is using social media to call for a boycott of China during the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
In the Asian nation, the 30-year-old former Boston Celtics player's comments led to a backlash, which prompted the government to criticize him and led to Celtics games being pulled from the Tencent video streaming service.