NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)and Jeff Merkley (D-Oreg.) sent a letter to National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver calling out the NBA’s deepening engagement with Rwandan President Paul Kagame who has a demonstrated record of human rights abuses. The letter also expresses concern about the league’s engagement with Chinese Communist Party officials.
As of 2021, NBA’s Business in Africa Was Valued at Nearly $1 Billion.
“We write to express deep concern about the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s deepening relationship with Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It seems that the NBA—which has long positioned itself as a beacon of social justice—is choosing to continue developing relationships with dictators and despots, all in the name of putting profit over principle. Reporting indicates that the League’s relationship with President Kagame began in 2018, as you ‘shot free throws’ with the President in Kigali. The NBA then gave President Kagame the advice and support he needed to build a massive new $104 million arena to establish the Basketball Africa League (BAL), expanding the NBA’s presence on the continent. Indeed, the NBA’s business in Africa was valued at almost $1 billion as of 2021.”
Rwandan President’s Government Has Long History of Brutality and Abuse
“The NBA has hosted President Kagame in Toronto, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Oakland, and at various other NBA sponsored events across North America, treating him like a friend and dignitary. The league profits from this relationship, but at what cost? President Kagame has ruled Rwanda for over 20 years with impunity. Freedom of expression and internet freedom is extremely limited in the country. Anyone who dares to question Kagame’s rule—whether it be opposition candidates or the free press—is jailed, disappeared, or brutally assassinated. President Kagame’s government has also allegedly provided military support to M23, a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has caused tens of thousands of Congolese people to flee their homes in fear. This group has been accused of horrific abuses, including recruiting child soldiers, using rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war, and torturing civilians.”
Playing Ball with Dictators Should Not Be the NBA’s Business Model
“The Rwandan government is known for murdering, kidnapping, and intimidating dissidents living overseas, including those in the United States. The NBA should not remain silent as Kagame exports his authoritarianism. Our concern about the NBA’s business relationship with a government with a demonstrated record of human rights abuses and repressive behavior is not limited to Rwanda. The league’s activities in China, engagement with Chinese Communist Party officials, and policies on products made with forced labor remain troubling… Playing ball with dictators and brutal regimes should not be the NBA’s business model. Instead, the league should use its influence to advocate for governance reforms, including respect for the rule of law.”
