An NBA player triggered outrage on social media by scribbling his name and number on the Great Wall.

Bobby Brown, a guard for the Houston Rockets who visited China for two preseason games in Shanghai and Beijing earlier this week, posted a photo of his handiwork and wrote, "Had a blast at the Great Wall of China today", during a visit by the team on Monday.

The 32-year-old posted an apology on Tuesday, but later deleted it and the picture.

"We were out enjoying the Great Wall. I wrote my name on the wall. I saw different writings - I didn't mean any harm by it. I made a mistake. It will never happen again. I've been playing in China for three years now and I have the utmost respect for the Chinese culture, and the way of living here. I just want to sincerely apologize for that," said Brown, who played in the Chinese Basketball Association from 2013 to 2016.

It was not known what material Brown used, but before he returned to the United States on Wednesday he told Chinese media, "I could have put my hand over it and erased it."

However, he is still facing a backlash from Chinese netizens, who criticized his apology.

"Is it funny to say 'you don't mean to harm anything' after you just harmed it? An apology without punishment means nothing, not to mention the insincerity to cover it up by deleting the posts," Weibo user Hurricane17 said.

According to the Mutianyu Great Wall Travel Service, it has been sending security and environmental protection experts to warn tourists against tagging the wall with graffiti.

"No matter who you are, you should not place graffiti on the Great Wall. As a world cultural relic, the Great Wall needs protection from both Chinese people and foreign tourists," a company manager said.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com