Before the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers played their two scheduled preseason games in China, an international controversy emerged as a result of a tweet from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
Now, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Irving expressed concern about playing the games in China amid the fallout caused by Morey's tweet.
Kyrie Irving, according to sources who were in the room, questioned whether it was worth playing the games in such a charged environment. He said he was there to play basketball games, and if a requirement for those games was dealing with the fallout Morey's tweet created, he would rather not play at all.
Brooklyn and Los Angeles ultimately played their scheduled games, but they did so while the media chose to blackout their coverage in China. The live stream of the games was made available outside of the country.
The situation involving the NBA and China has yet to reach a solution. Instead, comments made by coaches and players have created their own mini-controversies since the Lakers and Nets arrived back in North America.
It remains to be seen whether the NBA's games will be broadcast in China during the upcoming regular season. The 2019-20 season is set to begin on Oct. 22 when the New Orleans Pelicans face off with the Toronto Raptors.
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