(CNN) CNN anchor Christina Macfarlane was quickly shut down by the Houston Rockets' media officer as she tried to ask a question about the NBA's ongoing standoff with China.

Macfarlane was attending a post-match media conference with NBA stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook in Tokyo Thursday, but neither men were allowed to answer her question on whether they would feel comfortable speaking out on political and social issues in the future.

The league is currently facing a backlash from China after Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for the pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong.

He has since deleted the post but all of the NBA's official Chinese partners have now suspended ties with the league as it continues to grapple with the fallout.

Harden, in particular, seemed happy to answer the question but was prevented from doing so by the media officer off-screen, despite Macfarlane's follow-up question.

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