"What if the fans ask me to sell the team if I do what you say?"

Fertitta still had concerns. It was a normal reaction. At the end of the day, he was still a businessman.

"How can you worry about that, bro? This is completely different from the Sterling incident. You just need to make the decision to get Morey out. You're saving yourself, and the sooner you make the decision, the smaller your losses will be."

Tatum had already spoken very bluntly.

Fertitta nodded after thinking it over.

The Rockets' Chinese market was the largest, and if he lost it, his losses would be the greatest.

"I'll go to Japan and persuade Morey to resign voluntarily. Then I'll apologize in the name of the Rockets."

Once he made a decision, Fertitta didn't hesitate.

As the boss, he had a lot of dirt on his employees.

Tatum nodded, then reached out and shook hands with the Rockets' new owner.

After leaving Fertitta's residence, he immediately summoned league staff and representatives of the players' union.

This matter had to be dealt with as quickly as possible, and the league had to show a sufficient attitude.

Tang Tian had already spoken about the potential impact of this matter, and it was something the NBA couldn't afford.

The next morning, Beijing time, fans who had just woken up discovered a big news story.

Morey had tweeted again, but this time it was an apology.

"I deeply regret my previous remarks. I sincerely apologize to the Chinese fans and people for this. Nevertheless, I also know that these remarks have had an irreversible and negative impact, so I will voluntarily resign from my position as the Rockets' general manager. I hope the NBA gets better and better."

Morey's apology tweet was very sincere.

And after Morey, Rockets owner Fertitta also issued a related apology tweet.

"The Rockets and China have maintained a very good cooperative relationship since the Yao era. We know this very well, and we also know that sports should not be linked to politics. As Mr. Morey said, he made a mistake and realized his mistake. Although he is no longer a member of the Rockets, I hope he is well in the future."

And this wasn't the end. After Fertitta, the league officially issued a statement.

"We have always been committed to developing overseas markets and maintaining an equal and mutually beneficial cooperative model with various countries, especially China. We all know that there are some of the best fans in the world, and their love for basketball and the NBA is very passionate. This was a mistake, and we corrected it in time. I believe that in the future it will not affect further cooperation between the two sides, and we guarantee that there will be no more political remarks. Sports is just sports."

At the same time as this official statement was released, the Rockets' star player, Harden, also issued a related apology.

"We love playing in China. Me and Russell, both of us, go there once or twice a year. Chinese fans give us the greatest support, and we thank them for their support."

The series of apologies was quickly reported by Chinese and American media.

Chinese fans felt good about this wave.

From the league to the boss to the star players, they all apologized in person, and the culprit, Morey, was also forced to resign. This was already the best possible outcome.

However, while Chinese fans were feeling good, things had exploded in the United States.

"The NBA are a bunch of spineless people, all they know is how to make money, they only know how to bow their heads to money! Cowards! Bastards!"

"Freedom of speech is our right, and it is the right of people all over the world, we should boycott the NBA!"

"This is a multiple-choice question for the NBA, we should sell off our tickets and make the NBA lose attendance, that's the biggest revenge against them!"

"Just call the NBA to move to China, we don't want this kind of league that gives up freedom!"

"Garbage NBA, just the fourth largest sport in the United States, I still prefer to watch football, baseball and hockey, they're nothing!"

"It's a league of black people, do you still expect too much from it? It should have been disbanded long ago!"

"The federal government should take action, the NBA's behavior must be severely punished!"

…

Tatum was a little overwhelmed. He had taken care of the fans in China, but the protests in the United States were louder than he had expected.

And he also knew what the reason for this protest was, it came from their media.

Most of the news that Americans usually see is what the government wants them to see, which is why Morey had that kind of view in the first place.

Most people, including Morey, didn't know what was happening outside. They just read the information that the government wanted them to see.

Then, they called it the truth.

Only he and a few people who had actually been to China knew what the facts were.

Tatum finally called Tang Tian, hoping that he would stand up and speak out.

Although Tang Tian had retired, his influence was still there.

"I've made my choice, now it's your time to come out and help the NBA."

Tang Tian agreed.

Tatum and the NBA league had already done this, and the handling was the best it could be.

In other words, the crisis on the Chinese side had passed, and now the problem had turned to the United States.

He would definitely need to issue a statement, using his appeal to influence the fans' thinking.

The question was how to write it.

The wording and tone were very particular.

Just as he was thinking, Spurs owner CCX sent him an email.

The content of the email was also an appeal to NBA fans, mentioning the differences between Chinese and American cultures, and why Morey's remarks would arouse such a big protest from Chinese fans.

Supporting territorial integrity and the corresponding separatist forces is China's red line, just like the racial issues involved by Americans.

Moreover, in this statement, CCX also put forward from a historical perspective why this would be a red line.

"The NBA advocates freedom of speech, but we need to consider the scale, we should not have double standards in our attitude towards things, if the Sterling incident was the standard for this type of incident, then Morey should be the same now.

I hope the league can come out of this incident. As the owner of an NBA team, I will continue to express my views on important issues involving China, and I also ask Chinese and American fans to continue to believe in the NBA and basketball, and believe in our power to unite people all over the world."

CCX's statement was quite perfect, and Tang Tian didn't even need to consider how to write it after reading it.

And the reason why CCX sent this statement to him was very simple, he hoped to make a joint statement.

And he also hoped to bring Yao Ming along.

This was tantamount to saying that the three most influential people in the basketball field were put together.

Such a statement could receive the greatest attention and be understood by more fans.

Tang Tian agreed, and this was the best solution.