The response from China, NBA players, and others has been complicated, so let's break it down.

中國、NBA 球員和其他人士對此的反應錯綜複雜，現讓我們來解釋一下。

The Houston Rockets General Manager, Daryl Morey, sparked a global controversy when he tweeted his support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

侯斯頓火箭隊總經理達雷爾‧莫雷在 Twitter 發表支持香港的民主示威活動，而這言論引起了全球爭議。

The message caused a media backlash from China.

這則訊息引起中國媒體的激烈反對。

He eventually removed the post and the Rockets owner swiftly responded by distancing the team from Morey.

他最後刪除了那則貼文，火箭隊的老闆馬上回應並與莫雷畫清界線。

The team's star, James Harden, has also apologized to China.

隊上球星哈登也和中國道歉。

Yeah, we apologize, you know.

對，我們對此感到抱歉。

You know, we love China.

我們喜歡中國。

We love, you know, playing there.

我們喜歡在那邊打籃球。

The Rockets are one of the most popular teams in China.

火箭隊是中國最受歡迎的球隊之一。

They drafted legend Yao Ming as the top pick in 2002.

球隊於 2002 年的選拔賽中以第一順位挑選了傳奇之星姚明。

He spent nine seasons with the team.

他在火箭隊待了 9 個賽季。

The Rockets even have a Chinese-language website and have worn jerseys to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

火箭隊甚至還有中文版網站，還穿著印有中文字的球衣過中國農曆新年。

Ming now leads the Chinese Basketball Association.

姚明現在是中國籃球協會的主席。

In response to Morey's tweet, the group said that they planned to cut ties with the Rockets, plus, Chinese state TV and Tencent Sports, the NBA's rights holder in China, said they would no longer air Rockets games.

對於莫雷的推文，該協會表示打算結束合作關係。此外，中央電視台和騰訊體育擁有 NBA 在中國的播放權，他們表示不會再播放火箭隊的比賽。

Beyond the Rockets, the NBA has a huge presence in China.

除了火箭隊以外，NBA 在中國有龐大的業務。

The league launched NBA China in 2008 and signed a new agreement with Tencent Sports in 2019.

聯盟於 2008 年推出 NBA 中國，並於 2019 年與騰訊體育簽署了新協議。

Tencent announced that 21 million people used its service to watch the deciding game of the 2019 NBA finals, topping viewers in the US, and as many as 500 million Chinese fans watched at least one NBA game last season.

騰訊稱有 2,100 萬人使用其服務收看 2019 年具決定性的 NBA 總決賽，在美國觀眾中屬名列前茅，並有多達 5 億中國球迷於上賽季收看了至少一場 NBA 的比賽。

So what does this all mean for the NBA's relationship with China?

所以，到底這一切對 NBA 和中國間的關係代表著什麼呢？

The league released a statement saying that Morey's tweet "Deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable," but they also said they support individuals "sharing their views on the matters important to them."

聯盟發表聲明指莫雷的推文「深深地冒犯了許多我們在中國的朋友和球迷，的確令人感到遺憾。」不過他們還表示支持個人「在對他們認為重要的事情上分享看法。」

NBA coaches and players have weighed in on political issues in the past, but China and Hong Kong represent a fine line.

NBA 的教練和球員在過去也曾積極對政治議題發表意見，不過中國和香港之間的關係還是有所不同。

Standing up for protestors in Hong Kong could jeopardize the league's financial interests and its relationship with Chinese fans.

支持香港的示威者也許會損害聯賽的財政利益以及 NBA 和中國球迷間的關係。

This may be a lesson that the NBA's quest for a global footprint can have complicated outcomes.

這對 NBA 也許是個教訓，為他們在追求全球遍佈足跡上可能也會帶來複雜的結果。