The NBA said it won’t make the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers available to media for the rest of their China visit, amid an uproar over a tweet by a Houston Rockets executive supporting Hong Kong’s protesters.

No players or executives were made available for official briefings this week in china as the league grappled with the backlash from the quickly deleted tweet by rockets general manager Daryl Morey last weekend in support of Hong Kong anti-government protests. The china market is estimated to be worth more than $4 billion for the NBA.

China has accused the west of stirring up Anti-Beijing sentiment in Hong Kong, and Chinese state media has characterized Morey’s tweet as the latest example of meddling in China’s affairs. NBA commissioner Adam silver defended Morey’s freedom of expression in a statement issued on Tuesday, further angering Beijing.

Fan events were cancelled this week and partners have cut ties with the NBA, underscoring the severity of the situation for the league.