Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey resigned on his own accord.
The Rockets announced the decision Thursday night, just over a year after Morey sparked an international edging scandal when he tweeted his support for the anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
Morey reported that he will leave the team on November 1.
“It has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life leading the Rockets sports organization, and I am looking forward to working with Tilan (Fertita, team owner) and the management team in the transition,” Morey said in a statement. . “I am very confident that the future of the Rockets and our incredible fans is in the best of hands and that the Rockets will continue to perform at the highest level.”
Fertita, who has owned the team since 2017, thanked Morey for everything he did during his tenure.
“Daryl is a brilliant innovator who helped the Rockets become perennial contenders” for the title, Fertita said in a statement. “I’ve enjoyed working with Daryl, and I couldn’t have asked for a better general manager at the beginning of my tenure as owner.”
Morey caused the displeasure of the Chinese government when he tweeted an image accompanied by the phrase “Fight for Freedom. I’m with Hong Kong. ” The tweet alluded to pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, rocked by a spiral of violence between protesters and security forces.
The tweet caused Chinese companies to cut ties with the Rockets, and local television did not broadcast the team’s games this season.
The league’s broadcasts in China, however, resumed during the recent NBA Finals.
The Rockets have made the playoffs 10 times since Morey was hired in 2007, including the last eight seasons.
Morey was the manager of the shocking trade that brought guard James Harden from Oklahoma City. The Rockets reached the Western Conference final twice with Morey at the helm, but failed to win their first championship since back-to-back titles in 1994-95.
His departure comes after coach Mike D’Antoni’s decision not to continue at the helm, after the Rockets lost to the Lakers in the conference semifinals.
Houston was 640-400 with Morey as general manager and in the 2017-18 season he won a franchise record of 65 regular-season games. That was the second time they lost in the conference finals to Morey. They lost in seven games to the Warriors, after they also lost the conference finals to Golden State in 2015.
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