這樣的NBA,我們不看也罷!
The Houston Rockets executive unwittingly exposed an issue that may have been too much for the National Basketball Association: support for protesters in Hong Kong, which infuriated China. It was quickly deleted.
這位火箭隊的高管（莫雷小兒）無意中揭露了一個可能讓NBA難以承受的問題：支持香港鬧事者，這激怒了中國。雖然內容很快被刪除了。But the damage was done, and the NBA quickly moved to smooth things over in a lucrative market that generates millions of dollars in revenue. The league said it was "regrettable" that many Chinese fans were offended by the comment.
但是傷害已經造成，NBA迅速採取行動，企圖在這個利潤巨大能製造數百萬美元（不止吧？）的市場上平息事端。對於被（莫雷）那番言論冒犯的衆多中國球迷，聯盟感到十分“遺憾”。Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Rockets and Morey's boss, publicly rebuked Morey but said later that the general manager's job was not in danger.
火箭老闆，莫雷的僱主蒂爾曼.費爾蒂塔公開指責了莫雷，但隨後表示他的球隊經理工作不受影響。
Sponsors in China paused their deals with the Rockets, and the country's main broadcaster said it would remove the team's games from its schedule. Two exhibition games scheduled for a low-level team affiliated with the Rockets were also canceled.
中國的贊助商暫停了與火箭隊的合作，中國的主流媒體表示會將火箭隊的比賽從日程安排中取消，原計劃與火箭發展聯盟球隊的兩場表演賽也被取消。The league's statement, in turn, inflamed supporters of the Hong Kong protests and many fans in the United States, where the protesters are generally seen as battling a repressive government. Democratic and Republican politicians found agreement in calling the league gutless, accusing it of prioritizing money over human rights.
NBA的聲明反過來又激怒了香港抗議活動的支持者和美國的許多球迷。在美國，抗議者通常被視爲在與專制政府作戰。民主黨和共和黨的政客們一致認爲nba聯盟過於軟弱，指責nba將金錢置於人權之上。The involvement of the Rockets is particularly troublesome for the NBA, given the franchise's longtime status as among the most popular team in China. Yao Ming, considered the crown jewel of Chinese basketball, played for the Rockets from 2002 to 2011.
火箭隊歷來都是中國球迷最喜歡的球隊之一，涉及到火箭隊對NBA來講尤其麻煩，中國籃球歷史上最偉大的球員姚明，在2002到2011年之間曾爲火箭隊效力。
James Harden, a Rockets guard and one of the NBA's biggest stars, directly apologized to Chinese fans on Monday.
火箭得分後衛，當今NBA最熾手可熱的球星之一，詹姆斯哈登在週一向中國球迷道歉。Joseph Tsai, the first Chinese owner of an NBA franchise, said in a statement late Sunday that Hong Kong was a "third-rail issue" in China, calling the efforts by protesters a "separatist movement."
NBA首位華人老闆蔡崇信週日晚間在一份聲明中表示，香港是中國的“第三軌問題”（不允許觸及的問題），稱抗議者的努力是“分裂主義運動”。Speaking ahead of a scheduled preseason game between the Rockets and Toronto Raptors in Japan, the NBA's commissioner, Adam Silver, acknowledged the fallout but said the league supported Morey's right to free expression.
NBA總裁亞當·肖華在火箭隊和猛龍隊在日本打季前賽開賽前發表講話，承認了此事的嚴重性，但同時表示聯盟支持莫雷言論自由的權利。Now, about 200 NBA employees work in China in offices in Beijing and Shanghai. Games are streamed live and Chinese media cover all the league's biggest events such as All-Star weekend and the NBA Finals. The league has played preseason games there for years, has three NBA academies in the country — designed to find the next star prospect — and big-name players go there every offseason to promote their brand.
如今，有大約200名NBA員工在北京和上海的辦公室工作，nba的球賽都是現場直播的，中國的媒體會報道nba所有重大賽事，比如全明星週末和nba總決賽。nba也在中國打了很多年的季前賽，在中國設立了三個NBA訓練營---旨在尋找明日之星。那些大牌球員也會在休賽期來到中國宣傳他們代言的品牌。Retired Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has a lifetime contract with Chinese apparel company Li-Ning. Golden State guard Klay Thompson has a 10-year deal with another Chinese shoe company, Anta. Five-time champion Kobe Bryant has been visiting China annually for about two decades and is a massive star there, even now that his playing career is done.
邁阿密熱火隊退役後衛韋德與中國李寧公司簽訂了一份終身合同。金州勇士隊後衛克雷.湯普森與另一家中國運動鞋企業安踏簽有10年的合同。五屆nba總冠軍得主科比·布萊恩特在過去20年裏每年都會訪問中國，即使現在他的職業生涯已經結束，他仍然是中國的巨星。The league has navigated its way around one thorny issue related to the U.S. and China in recent months: a trade war between the nations that includes back-and-forth tariffs. The Hong Kong tweet, though, is likely to present a much bigger test for the NBA.
近幾個月來，nba聯盟繞開了一個與美國和中國面臨的棘手問題:兩國之間的貿易戰，其中包括來回徵收關稅。不過，關於香港問題發佈的這條推文可能會給NBA帶來更大的考驗。更多精彩內容請關注微信公衆號、新浪微博：籃球英文堂
