“如果犯规了还不改，就可能被罚下场”
NBA休斯顿火箭队总经理达瑞尔·莫雷（Daryl Morey）最近踩了“雷”。
10月5日，随队前往日本打季前赛的莫雷在推特上发表了涉港的不当言论（内容是近几个月香港暴力分子常喊的一句口号），引起轩然大波。
休斯顿火箭俱乐部老板蒂尔曼·费尔蒂塔（Tilman Fertitta）随后在推特发布了一条动态澄清，他写道：“莫雷的言论不能代表休斯顿火箭。我们在东京的活动是在国际上推广NBA，我们不是一个政治组织。”
Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets on Saturday made improper remarks over the current situation in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on his Twitter account, sparking an online backlash.
The Houston Rockets tried to distance themselves from the controversy, with owner Tilman Fertitta writing on Twitter that Morey "does NOT speak for the @HoustonRockets...we are not a political organization."
“拉黑”火箭队的名单越来越长
虽然费尔蒂塔撇清关系，莫雷也删除了相关内容，但火箭队官方和莫雷本人并未对不当言论道歉。
10月6日，中国篮球协会官方微博发布声明表示强烈反对，并宣布将暂停与该俱乐部的交流合作事宜。
CBA联盟表示执行中国篮协的决定，已取消了和火箭队下属球队的比赛。
中央广播电视总台央视体育频道10月6日晚间就此事发表声明，宣布暂停合作。
国内体育赛事媒体腾讯体育、虎扑篮球等也纷纷宣布将暂停对火箭队的比赛直播与资讯报道。
此外，包括浦发银行、李宁在内的火箭队中国赞助商也发表声明表示与火箭队终止合作。
中国驻休斯顿总领事馆10月6日也就此事向火箭队提出交涉，要求火箭队纠正错误。
The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), China's national body governing basketball, has suspended cooperation with the Rockets.
At the same time, China Media Group (CMG) and Tencent Sports, two of the NBA's major media partners in the country, have decided to halt live streaming and news reporting of all games featuring the Rockets.
The team's Chinese sponsors, including sportswear brand Li Ning and the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, have announced to stop cooperation with the team.
The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Houston on Sunday also expressed strong displeasure over Morey's comments.
NBA回应 “感到极其失望” 莫雷发声却未道歉
事件持续发酵，NBA首席传播官迈克尔·巴斯(Mike Bass)于今日发布声明：“我们对休斯顿火箭队总经理达瑞尔·莫雷发表的不当言论感到极其失望，他无疑已经严重地伤害了中国球迷的感情。”
莫雷本人今日也在个人推特账号再次发声。
“我没有想到我的推特冒犯了这么多在中国的火箭球迷和我的朋友。我就是说出了我的想法，用一张图来阐释一个复杂事件。在发出那条推特后，我有很多机会看到和思考别人的看法。
我一直很感激中国的火箭球迷和赞助商长期以来给我们的支持，我希望那些沮丧的人可以理解我的本意不是要冒犯或曲解他们。我之前的推特是自己的行为，不代表火箭和NBA官方。”
然而，莫雷却并没有为自己的不当言论道歉。
The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Monday issued an official response to Morey's improper remarks. The league's Chief Communication Officer Mike Bass said that Morey's post has "deeply offended" the Chinese people and it was "regrettable."
Morey also posted two tweets, claiming that "offending or misunderstanding" Chinese fans and sponsors was not his intention. But Morey's latest posts did not include an apology.
“是的，我们道歉。我们爱中国，我们喜欢在中国比赛，我们（哈登和拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克）两个都是，一年去中国两次。他们给了我们最大的支持，我们感谢他们，我们感谢他们给予我们的支持。”
“吃中国饭砸中国锅”
很多中国球迷开始知道火箭队，是因为摩西·马龙（Moses Malone）、哈基姆·奥拉朱旺（Hakeem Olajuwon）等传奇球星。
火箭队名宿摩西·马龙（左）和哈基姆·奥拉朱旺（右）图源:视觉中国
而火箭队能在中国收获大批忠实拥趸，则是因为姚明的加盟。
2002年10月20日，02/03NBA常规赛，休斯顿火箭vs奥兰多魔术，姚明展示球衣。图源:视觉中国
2002年，姚明在NBA选秀中以第一顺位入选火箭队。此后，火箭队一度成为最受中国球迷欢迎的NBA球队。
得益于在中国的超高关注度，火箭队受到了不少中国赞助商的青睐。方正、安踏、中兴手机等中国品牌都曾重金赞助过火箭队。
2008年，姚明所在的火箭队和易建联所在的雄鹿队在NBA常规赛中相遇，“中国德比”吸睛无数。图源:视觉中国
火箭队还多次来中国参加NBA季前赛，每次都受到了球迷们的欢迎和追捧。火箭队在中国市场也赚得盆满钵满。
2011年姚明退役后，虽然球队在中国的关注度有所下降，但不少中国球迷和赞助商还是对它不离不弃。
Some Chinese basketball enthusiasts began to know the Rockets through the team's former greats like Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon.
However, Yao Ming, the Chinese sports icon and NBA Hall of Famer, is the person who made the Houston Rockets a popular team in China.
The Houston Rockets selected Yao with the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, which made the team an international sensation, especially in China. With Yao playing all eight of his seasons for the Houston Rockets, the team also became one of the favorite NBA teams in China. It gained great popularity among Chinese fans while getting many Chinese brands as official marketing partners on board over the years.
“我先是中国人，然后才是球迷”
莫雷的不当言论引发了网友和球迷们的强烈不满。
不少网友明确表示莫雷的行为越界了。发表这样的言论不仅不明智，也在滥用自己的影响力。
莫雷此举也寒了一众中国球迷的心，许多球迷表示失望，并要求莫雷为自己的不当言论道歉。
更多网友表示自己“先是中国人，然后才是球迷”。莫雷此举挑战原则底线，决不能容忍。
Morey's remarks have received a wide backlash across social media platforms in China. Many netizens criticized him for crossing the line and abusing his power of influence as a leading manager of a sports organization.
A large group of heartbroken Chinese fans of the basketball team also condemned Morey's behavior, saying they felt deeply betrayed by what they loved for over a decade. Nevertheless, they also reinstated zero-tolerance on violence over territorial sovereignty and said the interest of the country will always come first.