“Gotta hold my tongue” Dwight Howard’s ‘free Palestine’ tweet saw Adam Silver and NBA step in
Dwight Howard learnt it the hard way that Adam Silver's NBA does not allow players to opinionate on international politcs.

Adam Silver and NBA forced Dwight Howard to delete 'Free Palestine' tweet
The NBA allows players the freedom to speak their minds out. This has led to the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry and others to openly voice their political opinions. It has led to heated debates among fans, but players have not been asked to control their words.
James has been very critical of soon-to-be President Donald Trump‘s first campaign. He locked horns and never minced his words when criticizing the President of the United States. During this season’s Election campaign, he openly voiced his support to Trump’s competitor Kamala Harris.
Steph Curry did the same as he endorsed Harris during the Democratic National Convention. He too has been critical of Trump in the past. However, Dwight Howard had a completely different experience. While talking with Ray Daniels on The Gauds Show, he recalled.
When I played for the Houston Rockets, I tweeted ‘Free Palestine’. And I dang near got kicked out of the league for it. Less than 10 min later I got a call from commissioner of the NBA. Agents, people in my foundation, ‘you gotta take this down, you going to get in trouble’. I gotta hold my tongue.
Dwight Howard said
The NBA Champion added that he was surprised by how quick NBA commissioner Adam Silver, his agents and everyone else responded once they saw his tweet. This is from way back in 2014 when Silver was in his first year as commissioner.
“I tweeted Free Palestine. Less than 10 minutes later, I got a call from the NBA commissioner, agents, people in my foundation, and even folks from Texas, telling me to take it down”
— Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) January 7, 2025
NBA star Dwight Howard. pic.twitter.com/Q1uyH98mGm
Since Palestine and Israel are sensitive topics, the NBA might have safeguarded it from any potential political stalemate. Players are free to opinionate about matters close to home. But anything international, and the league steps in as it has learnt it the hard way.
Adam Silver’s NBA is careful about players opinionating on international affairs
If Adam Silver and the NBA managed to stop Dwight Howard’s tweet from becoming viral, they could not do so when it was Daryl Morey‘s turn. The current Philadelphia 76ers GM went viral for tweeting in support of Hong Kong protestors.
That tweet enraged China. In the immediate aftermath, China stopped its association with the NBA. The league lost all endorsement deals coming from the nation. That became a problem as Silver later revealed the league lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
Recently after years of trying to repair relations the NBA has managed to bring peace. However, it seems the league has advised all players and personnel to stay away from commenting about international matters.
Patrick Beverley was shocked when a fan shouted out ‘Free Palestine’ during a live stream. He tried to pacify the situation by suggesting he came in peace. His reaction suggested he was trying to stay away from international political matters, something he learnt from the NBA.
Joseph Varghese
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