Two U.S. senators accused the NBA of “putting profits before principles,” 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 of North America with the Basketball Africa League, the ESPN article noted how the NBA had to look beyond the human rights abuses the dictator is responsible for in Rwanda.
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Rwandan President Paul Kagame arrives for the “Sport for Sustainable Development” summit at the 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 continues to develop “relationships with dictators and despots.”
“Anyone who dares to question Kagame's rule, whether opposition candidates or the free press, is jailed, disappeared or brutally murdered,” the letter reads, via ESPN.
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The senators also questioned the NBA's relationship with China, which has long been in a state of controversy. It has been reported that the league's owners allegedly have more than $10 billion invested in China, while former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom has publicly ridiculed the league for its relationship.
Kanter Freedom had previously criticized Silver for allegedly cosying up to the Chinese Communist Party while turning a blind eye to human rights abuses and the treatment of Uighur Muslims in the country.
In the letter, Blackburn and Merkley want Silver to answer a series of questions, including describing “the scope of the NBA's relationship with the government of Rwanda” and outlining how the league will improve the lives of the people of Rwanda.
Carlos Morais #6 of Petroleos De Luanda poses for a photo after winning the 2024 African Basketball League Championship against Al Ahly Ly during the 2024 African Basketball League Championship on June 1, 2024 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. (Armand Lenoir/NBAE via Getty Images)
“The conversations we've had with Paul Kagame have all been about how to improve the lives of people in Rwanda,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told ESPN. “How can we create, how can we inspire and connect people through the game of basketball to improve the lives of people in Rwanda.”
Despite what the NBA is doing in talks with Kagame, Blackburn and Merkley don't believe it's a good business plan to deal with a dictator.
“Playing with dictators and brutal regimes should not be the NBA's business model,” the letter concludes. “Instead, the league should use its influence to promote 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 Civilizations in Dakar, July 30, 2019. (SEYLLOU/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Basketball Africa League was founded in 2019 by the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), with a season running from March to May. The current format features 12 teams and a total of 24 teams from 19 countries have played in the league since its inception.
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