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Two United States senators have accused the NBA of “putting profit over principle,” which was detailed in a letter sent to commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday.
The letter sent by Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to the NBA commissioner comes after an ESPN report detailed the league’s relationship with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame.
While the league needed Kagame’s help to build its first league outside North America with the Basketball Africa League, ESPN’s article pointed out how the NBA had to look past human rights abuses that the dictator is responsible for in Rwanda.
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President of Rwanda Paul Kagame arrives at the “Sport For Sustainable Development” Summit at Carrousel du Louvre on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. Paris will host the Summer Olympics from July 26 to August 11, 2024 (Richard Bord/Getty Images)
Blackburn and Merkley’s letter said the NBA has “long positioned itself as a beacon of social justice, but it continues to develop “relationships with dictators and despots.”
“Anyone who dares to question Kagame’s rule – whether it be opposition candidates or the free press – is jailed, disappeared or brutally murdered,” the letter reads, via ESPN.
The senators also questioned the NBA’s relationship with China, which has long been in a state of controversy. It’s been reported that league owners all allegedly have over $10 billion invested in China, while former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom has publicly ridiculed the league for its relationship.
Kanter Freedom previously called out Silver for purportedly cozying up to the Chinese Communist Party, while turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses and treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the country.
In the letter, Blackburn and Merkley both want Silver to answer a series of questions, which include outlining “the scope of the NBA’s relationship with the Rwandan government,” and describing how the league will improve the lives of Rwanda’s people.
Carlos Morais #6 of Petroleos De Luanda poses for a photo after winning the 2024 Basketball Africa League championship against the Al Ahly Ly during the 2024 Basketball Africal League Championship on June 1, 2024 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. (Armand Lenoir/NBAE via Getty Images)
“The conversations that we’ve had with Paul Kagame have all been about improving the lives of Rwandan people,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told ESPN. “How can we create, how can we inspire and connect people through the game of basketball to make Rwandan peoples’ lives better.”
Despite what the NBA is doing in conversations with Kagame, Blackburn and Merkley don’t believe it’s a good business plan to be dealing with a dictator.
“Playing ball with dictators and brutal regimes should not be the NBA’s business model,” the letter concludes. “Instead, the league should use its influence to advocate for governance reforms, including respect for the rule of law.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the announcement of the NBA-backed Basketball Africa League (BAL) at the Museum of Black Civilisations in Dakar, on July 30 2019. (SEYLLOU/AFP via Getty Images)
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Basketball Africa League was founded in 2019 by the NBA and International Basketball Federation (FIBA), with a season that runs from March to May. The current format has 12 teams, and a total of 24 teams from 19 countries have played in the league since it started.
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