Donald Trump on Steve Kerr's Reply to China Question: 'He Was Like a Little Boy'

President Donald Trump criticized the response of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to a question about the ongoing situation involving the NBA and China.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey inadvertently drew the ire of Chinese business and the Chinese government when he tweeted a pro-Hong Kong image on Twitter. As a result, the NBA's relationship with China has become strained, forcing those inside the league to provide their thoughts on the matter. 

Kerr told reporters he didn't feel well-versed enough to provide an informed opinion:

Speaking from the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Trump said Kerr "was like a little boy."

Warriors star Stephen Curry responded to Trump's comment, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater: "Just heard about the Trump thing. Gotta welcome Steve to the club."

Curry drew Trump's ire in September 2017 when made it clear he didn't want to visit the White House to celebrate the Warriors' championship victory the previous season.

Shortly after Morey's tweet, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said Morey's views didn't reflect those of the team:

The fallout has extended beyond just the Rockets to the league as a whole.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver posted a statement outlining how the league would approach players or team officials who share their views on such topics:

"It is inevitable that people around the world -- including from America and China -- will have different viewpoints over different issues.  It is not the role of the NBA to adjudicate those differences.

"However, the NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues.  We simply could not operate that way."

The NBA has a pair of preseason games scheduled in China on Thursday and Saturday between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. ESPN's Rachel Nichols shared video of a banner in Shanghai advertising Thursday's game being removed:

China's state television broadcaster, CCTV, already confirmed they don't plan to broadcast either of the games. Tencent, the NBA's digital streaming partner in China, also said they would no longer stream the games. 

The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds reported the league canceled a media event Wednesday involving the Lakers and Nets, and it's unclear if the pair of preseason games will proceed as planned.