NBA Defends Basketball Africa League Deal With Rwanda

NBA responds to US senators

The NBA has responded to US senators Jeff Merkley and Marsha Blackburn after they raised serious concerns about the league's growing partnership with Rwanda. The two senators sent a letter to NBA commissioner Adam Silver last week. They stated that they were increasingly alarmed by the basketball league's deepening relationship with the East African nation and its leader Paul Kagame, who has been in power since 1994.

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum wrote back to address the concerns. He stated that the league follows the lead of the US government when deciding where it is appropriate to do business internationally. Tatum also explained that the NBA's mission is to inspire and connect people through basketball in more than 200 countries and territories.

Military team removed from league

As proof that the league adjusts to official US policy, Tatum pointed to recent actions taken in the Basketball Africa League. A military funded team named Armee Patriotique Rwandaise was withdrawn from the competition earlier this year.

This decision was made after the US government imposed economic sanctions on the Rwandan Defence Force. Tatum confirmed that the team will remain ineligible to compete in the league while those sanctions stay in effect. He added that the league will keep adjusting its operations whenever US policy requires it.

Human rights questions and outside pressure

The senators asked several other questions, including whether the NBA has a red line for accepting money from foreign governments that commit human rights abuses. Tatum did not answer that specific question directly in his letter, though he stated that the league condemns human rights violations wherever they occur.

Rwanda built a 10,000 seat arena in its capital city of Kigali, which has become central to the NBA's expansion efforts in Africa. However, the government of Paul Kagame faces heavy international criticism. The US, the UK, and human rights organizations have accused Rwanda of abuses, including the imprisonment, torture, and murder of political opponents.

The US government also announced new sanctions on Rwanda over its ongoing support for M23, a rebel group operating in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Early last year, the DRC called on the NBA, Formula 1, and major football clubs to end their deals with Rwanda. European football teams Bayern Munich and Arsenal later ended their sponsorship deals with the nation following pressure from fans and the media.